Air Miles

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many air miles have been accrued by senior civil servants in his Department on official business in each of the last three years; and how they were used.

Gareth Thomas: DFID staff may not use for private benefit, air miles earned on official travel. We have arranged with certain partner airlines for staff to donate their air miles to "earth miles" initiative under which air miles are exchanged for contributions by the airlines to the cost of carbon offset projects. Staff are also encouraged to use air miles for official travel.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold details of individual staff membership of frequent flyer schemes and therefore has no record of air miles accrued.

Asian Tsunami

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the recent report on his Department's response to the Indian Ocean disaster.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is drawing on some of the recommendations to help inform and guide DFID's support to and relationship with the UN agencies, Red Cross movement and non-governmental organisations that DFID funded in response to the disaster. DFID aims to strengthen its partners and their response capacities, seeking to build on some of the lessons identified in this review.
	For example: the report highlighted how UN agencies handled co-ordination in each sector. DFID has since helped to identify and second staff to act as cluster coordinators for each UN lead agency following the Pakistan Earthquake. This has led to much improved sectoral co-ordination.
	DFID has also benefited from the recommendations about DFID's relationship with the UK military, placing a Civil Military advisor in Pakistan following the 2005 earthquake.

Asian Tsunami

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent attacks by Tamil Tigers will have on the post-tsunami recovery process in Sri Lanka and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The increasing violence and communal tension is a major barrier to recovery in the north and east. In the southern districts, not contested by the LTTE and not directly affected by the fighting, recovery is proceeding swiftly, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2007.
	The increase in direct fighting between the Sri Lankan military, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and militia's associated with each side has been accompanied by an increase in communal tension. Development agencies and non governmental organisations have evacuated staff for their security and protection and recovery programmes have been suspended. In addition, regular economic activities and recovery work undertaken in communities without external assistance has also been affected by military activity. Able bodied men are being mobilised for LTTE service, and people are being displaced by fighting, or the fear of fighting.
	The situation continues to deteriorate, as evidenced by the recent suicide bombing in Colombo and the subsequent air strikes and naval shelling in the east. Without a considerable improvement in the security situation it is unlikely that much recovery can be undertaken. The international community, including the United Kingdom, are working hard to encourage the Government and the (LTTE) to curtail violence and to return to the negotiating table. Once the security environment improves we will renew efforts to help ensure delivery of development assistance to communities.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of progress in restoring  (a) electricity,  (b) water,  (c) sanitation,  (d) health care and  (e) education services in (i) Al Basrah, (ii) Al Muthanna, (iii) Dhi Qar and (iv) Maysan provinces in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Iraq, supported by the UK and other donors, has made significant progress with reconstruction since 2003. But there is still a long way to go. Once a relatively wealthy country with high levels of education and health care, by 2003 Iraq had suffered more than 20 years of conflict, mismanagement and chronic under-investment from a brutal regime. Continued violence, especially sabotage directed at key infrastructure, and low (but growing) levels of management capacity in Iraq's national and local government have slowed progress. The UK and international community are committed to helping the new Iraqi Government tackle these challenges.
	One challenge is the lack of data, especially at the regional and provincial level. The following information therefore covers the progress that has been made across Iraq, including regional detail only where this is available.
	Electricity generation is more equitably distributed across Iraq than before 2003. Nearly 5,000 megawatts (MW) have been added to the national grid since 2003, but Iraq's average electricity generation has not improved over that period. This is because at the same time as capacity is being added through reconstruction projects, breakdowns of the pre-existing dilapidated systems, shortages of fuel supplies and sabotage are reducing capacity. So Iraqis are not getting the full benefit of those extra megawatts. Demand for electricity also continues to rise dramatically, as the economy grows and more people own and use electrical goods such as fridges and air-conditioning units. The new Iraqi Government will be starting work on a long-term power sector strategy, with DFID's support.
	In the south, average electricity generation levels have increased from approximately 750 MW in January 2004 to over 1,000 MW in December 2005. The south now receives its fair share of national power—whereas under Saddam's regime, power was often diverted from the south to Baghdad.
	To improve power supply in the south, DFID has:
	Repaired transmission lines from Hartha power station to Basra city—securing electricity supplies for 1.5 million residents;
	Improved power distribution to 13 areas of Basra.
	By the end of 2006, we will have:
	Established point power generators to provide 15 MW of back-up supplies in Dhi Qar and Maysan;
	Added or secured a further 190 MW of electricity in the south, through our £40 million Iraq Infrastructure and Services Programme.
	Water supplies have improved across the south since the end of the conflict, and sewage systems and water treatment plants are now operating again. Before the conflict, no major sewage systems were operating. Immediate post-conflict work improved efficiency of water treatment plants and pumping stations. DFID has:
	provided technical advice for a major sewage installation in Al Amarah, providing up to half the city's population with access to a piped system and replacing open sewage channels;
	improved the water supply to 60,000 people in Al Amtahiyah;
	started construction of reservoirs and water towers to benefit a further 200,000 people;
	constructed a water training centre which will train water engineers from Maysan, Muthanna, Basra and Dhi Qar provinces.
	Health services are gradually being restored throughout Iraq. Hundreds of health care facilities have been rehabilitated and 240 hospitals and 1,200 primary health centres are now functioning. Through extensive disease control programmes, there has been a decline in the prevalence of leishmaniasis, malaria, measles, mumps, and polio. Japan and the US have rehabilitated a number of health care facilities in the south, as well as supplying essential equipment, ambulances and drugs. The US is constructing a new paediatric hospital in Basra, which will offer improved treatment to children with acute conditions across the south.
	5,168 schools have been rehabilitated throughout Iraq, with a further 450 in progress. By the end of 2006, more than 133,000 primary school teachers and 47,500 secondary school teachers and administrators will have received training and technical support. In southern Iraq, the UN has rehabilitated schools and supplied textbooks, and is also rehabilitating vocational training institutes. Japan has provided textbooks to all primary schools in Muthanna. There are 465 schools operating in Maysan, and 348 in Muthanna.

Leased Land

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) land and  (b) property his Department (i) leases and (ii) leased in (A) 1979, (B) 1983, (C) 1987, (D) 1992 and (E) 1997 in (1) the Southend West constituency, (2) Essex, (3) Hertfordshire and (4) the Metropolitan police area of London.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has leased the following properties, all within the Metropolitan police area of London. No other properties or land have been leased in the Southend West constituency, Essex or Hertfordshire areas.
	 1979:
	Eland House, Bressendon Place, London, SW1
	29 Bressendon Place, London, SW1
	 1987:
	Eland House, Bressendon Place, London, SW1
	 1992:
	94 Victoria Street, London, SW1
	 1997:
	94 Victoria Street, London, SW1
	 Current:
	1 Palace Street, London, SW1
	20 Victoria Street, SW1
	 Note:
	DFID also leased Glen House, Stag Place, between 1999 and 2002.

Maternal Health

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps are being taken by his Department  (a) to develop a comprehensive maternal health strategy and  (b) to disseminate this strategy to other international donors;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in  (a) the EU,  (b) the G8 and  (c) the UN about improving maternal health in developing countries;
	(3)  what steps are being taken by his Department to increase international action on maternal health issues.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is the only major bilateral donor to already have a specific strategy focusing on maternal health: "Reducing maternal deaths: evidence and action", which was launched in 2004. We have disseminated this comprehensive maternal health strategy throughout the international system, with other donors, the UN, and most importantly, with the developing partners we support.
	The strategy provides the basis for DFID support to improve maternal health at country level, which we do through a combination of programmes to strengthen health services and improve overall reproductive and child health, along with specific maternal health programmes and HIV interventions. Long-term support for maternal health in Nepal, for example, is demonstrating significant increases in women's access to emergency obstetric care in remote areas and in a fragile state. This work highlights the importance of support for community level action to overcome cultural and socio-economic barriers to accessing care, as well as the importance of addressing infrastructure (roads, bridges) and communications issues to ensure an effective referral system. In Malawi, DFID is supporting an Emergency Human Resource Programme to address the acute shortages of health workers, an issue which has been compounded by the AIDS epidemic. Overall investments for maternal health (including reproductive health services) have increased by over 40 per cent. over the past three years, to £242.9 million in 2004-05.
	The maternal health strategy also provides the platform for DFID's regular policy discussions with other donors, such as the EU, G8 and the UN, on the actions needed to improve maternal health in developing countries and the importance of doing more on maternal health. We are seeking to highlight the importance of maternal health within the current G8 process, although the prime health theme at present is infectious disease. We are also working to ensure that the new Partnership for Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health can play a useful role in advocating for more action on maternal health, and to improve the way UN agencies work together on this issue.
	Importantly, good advocacy is based upon good data. Getting reliable information on maternal deaths is difficult in most developing countries where maternal deaths are not recorded and where more than half of all births take place at home, without a skilled attendant but either with relatives or alone. This is why DFID, along with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Gates Foundation, supports IMMPACT, the only global research initiative which is successfully identifying effective ways in which maternal deaths can be measured and the statistics used for high level advocacy. DFID further supports a recent global partnership, Health Metrics Network, which aims to provide country level support to governments to get better data.

Patents

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures are in place to ensure that the holders of traditional knowledge  (a) are made aware of patent applications and  (b) are able to be fully involved in assessing intellectual applications based on traditional knowledge.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Patent Office publishes details of patent applications in its weekly publication 'The Patents and Designs Journal" which is publicly available free of charge on the Patent Office Website at: http://www.patent.gov.uk/patent/dbase/index.htm.
	Worldwide published applications may be viewed using "Espacenet" which is a publicly available free of charge service which lists over 45 million patent specifications including GB specifications from 1918 to the present. This is available at: http://ep.espacenet.com.
	Indigenous peoples (holders of traditional knowledge) play an important role in the World Intellectual Property Organisation Inter-Governmental Committee on Traditional Knowledge, Folklore and Genetic Resources (IGC) where these matters are discussed. A voluntary fund has recently been set up to help ensure their participation and attendance to this committee. The IGC has done important work on traditional knowledge databases and also on amending the international classification system for patents to include traditional knowledge and hence make it easier for holders of traditional knowledge to access patent applications based on traditional knowledge.
	The assessment of intellectual property applications is done by patent examiners and trademark examiners in the relevant country or jurisdiction. In the UK anyone can file observations on patentability with regard to patent applications, including the holders of traditional knowledge. This will then be taken into account when the patent is examined. In a similar manner, anyone can make observations about the registrability of a trademark. Further, trademarks applications can be opposed or subsequently invalidated if the mark designates a characteristic of those goods or services, or is otherwise non-distinctive. Similar arrangements are in place in most countries and jurisdictions.

Patents

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's policy is on the proposals in the Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council to introduce a requirement for the declaration of origin of the use of genetic resources and associated knowledge into the TRIPS Agreement.

Gareth Thomas: The Government supports the principle of developing countries' demands to disclose country of origin or source of genetic material within patent applications. This could assist these countries to keep track of patent applications linked to the use of their resources and check whether appropriate benefit sharing agreements are in place. The Government therefore supported the EU proposal submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) in December 2004 which suggests that disclosure of country of origin or source in patent applications could be introduced on a global basis in national, regional and international patent applicants. We judged that this proposal strikes a good balance between achieving the objective of supporting developing countries' request to include disclosure of origin provisions into international patent law whilst ensuring that patents are not undermined and patent applicants are not overly burdened.
	We must however, ensure that the system is workable in practice and achieves the desired outcome (i.e. benefits are generated and shared appropriately). Therefore, we have so far focused our efforts on discussions in the WIPO IGC, where the technical expertise resides.

Patents

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Government has instigated a system for informing the World Intellectual Property Organisation about the origins of traditional knowledge or genetic resources named in patent applications.

Gareth Thomas: The Government have contributed to and fully support an EU proposal for such a system. This issue is currently subject to discussions in the World Intellectual Property Organisation Inter-Governmental Committee on Traditional Knowledge, Folklore and Genetic Resources (IGC). The EU proposed a system of disclosure of origin of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge to this committee in 2005 suggesting that
	"It would be adequate to identify in particular the Clearing House Mechanism of the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) as the central body to which the patent offices should send the information available from the declarations on disclosure."

Sub-Saharan Africa

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) successful and  (b) unsuccessful bids there were by each sub-Saharan country for grants from the Trade Related Capacity Building Fund in each of the last eight years; and how much was allocated to each successful bid.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provides Trade Related Capacity Building (TRCB) support to sub-Saharan African countries through its bilateral programmes and multilateral institutions. It does not have a stand alone TRCB Fund to which sub-Saharan African countries can bid. Therefore, we are unable to provide information on bids and their success.
	Our support for Trade Related Capacity Building for sub-Saharan African countries is allocated according to their TRCB needs as identified in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers or national development plans and in fulfilment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) criteria for TRCB.
	For the period 1997-2005, DFID's financial records show that countries in sub-Saharan Africa received £16.2 million in support for trade and investment activities, through bilateral programmes and DFID supported multilateral institutions. Trade and investment activities are one aspect only of DFID's complete TRCB programme which includes private sector development, agricultural development, compliance with standards etc. Therefore, DFID's overall support to TRCB in sub-Saharan Africa is larger than the figure given. The difficulty in isolating the TRCB elements within large economic growth or regional programmes prevents us from providing further financial details on TRCB expenditure. Annex A provides details per sub-Saharan African country of the DFID trade and investment expenditure for the period 1997-2005.
	In terms of specific TRCB programmes in sub-Saharan Africa, DFID currently runs an £11 million Regional Trade Facilitation Programme. The programme supports two regional economic communities, the Southern African Development Community and Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa, and their members in negotiations with the WTO and European Commission and implementing regional integration.

Uganda

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to promote good governance in Uganda.

Hilary Benn: I recently visited Uganda where I met with President Museveni. In this meeting I emphasised the importance of good governance to our development partnership with Uganda. I noted in particular the importance of further deepening democracy following Uganda's first multi-party elections in 25 years in February, and action on corruption.
	DFID's programme in Uganda is promoting good governance. We are leading members of donor groups which have regular discussions with the Government about corruption, public service reform and public financial management and we are helping to establish the institutions required to fight corruption in Uganda. We are financing the Government's public service reform programme which is improving the Government effectiveness, and the public financial management and accountability programme which is strengthening public financial management systems in both central and local government. We are also providing support to both Parliament and civil society which is helping to improve government accountability.

UN Disaster Relief Operations

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to strengthen the capacity of the UN system for  (a) leading and  (b) co-ordinating multilateral disaster relief operations.

Gareth Thomas: In December 2004, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, proposed a package of six key reforms to improve the effectiveness of emergency response, with a particular focus on the UN as the global lead. The six reforms are:
	Establishment of a new global humanitarian fund;
	Strengthen the UN Humanitarian Coordinator system;
	Common donor funding for the Humanitarian Coordinator to deploy on the most urgent unmet needs;
	Development of global benchmarks to measure humanitarian response performance;
	Increased donor focus on "forgotten", or under-funded, emergencies;
	Increased donor funding for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
	The United Nations is taking forward these reforms with the support and participation of the wider donor community, including DFID, NGOs and the Red Cross movement. In December 2005, a new UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) was approved by the UN General Assembly. It was launched on 9 March 2006 with $254 million from 38 donors, including $70 million from DFID. Under the direction of the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, the CERF is now enabling UN humanitarian agencies to respond rapidly to sudden disasters, such as earthquakes; time-critical responses in slow-onset disasters, such as drought; and essential life-saving actions in ongoing but under-funded crises such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad.
	A number of proposals for strengthening the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator system are being taken forward, including developing a pool of suitable candidates and associated training. Currently there are 21 trained humanitarian co-ordinators, including some from NGO or Red Cross backgrounds. Alongside this, DFID is leading seven other donors in piloting pooled country level funding, to be used as directed by the resident humanitarian co-ordinator, in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo during 2006. DFID is also providing support to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in developing performance benchmarks for mortality, nutrition, and health. DFID has supported progress over the last 12 months in reforming the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and in March this year we launched our new Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy.
	In September 2005, the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which deals with humanitarian issues, established a new 'cluster' system to deliver more accountable and predictable humanitarian responses. Named agencies have responsibility for coordinating responses in key sectors such as water and sanitation (UNICEF), protection (the United Nations High Commissioner fro Refugees (UNHCR), Logistics (the World Food Programme (WFP), and Health (the WHO), and developing networks or clusters of other agencies and NGOs to work together to improve capacity, performance, and effectiveness. DFID is currently considering, along with other donors, how best to support this initiative.
	In January 2006, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, called for further reform of the international humanitarian system by improving the quality and focus of UN Flash Appeals. This involves developing agreements for the use of military assets; and for better accountability in humanitarian funding, performance, and outcomes for beneficiary communities. We are working along with other donors, the UN, and other humanitarian organisations to develop these initiatives.

Unemployment (West Bank)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of Palestinians on the west bank he estimates were  (a) unemployed and  (b) living below the poverty line in each year since 1997.

Hilary Benn: According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics the unemployment and poverty rates in the occupied Palestinian territories since 1997 were as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Unemployment rate (ILO definition)  Poverty rate (national poverty line) 
			 1997 20.3 (1)— 
			 1998 14.4 23.3 
			 1999 11.8 (1)— 
			 2000 14.1 (1)— 
			 2001 25.5 33.6 
			 2002 31.3 (1)— 
			 2003 25.6 (1)— 
			 2004 26.8 30.6 
			 2005 23.5 (1)— 
			 (1) No annual figures available.

World Food Programme (North Korea)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the UK's contribution to plans for food aid in North Korea to be carried out by the World Food Programme; and if he will make an assessment of malnutrition in that country.

Gareth Thomas: In 2005, DFID committed over £1.2 million of humanitarian assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). £1 million was channelled through UNICEF for water, sanitation and health care, and a further £200,000 through the International Federation of the Red Cross for disaster risk deduction.
	In late 2005, the DPRK said that it would no longer accept international humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, it has increased the already significant restrictions it places on the humanitarian community, with the consequence that DFID can no longer feel confident that programmes of assistance are appropriate and are reaching those who most need it most. All World Food Programme (WFP) operations are funded solely from voluntary contributions and the UK is not contributing to the one in the DPRK.
	The UK has no plans to conduct a survey of malnutrition in the DPRK. Obtaining nutritional information is hampered by the constraints placed on the operations of international humanitarian agencies. The last international survey was carried out in 2004.

Aircraft Routes

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) current and  (b) proposed aircraft corridors are across (i) West Somerset and (ii) Sedgmoor district council areas.

Gillian Merron: On 16 March 2006 there were wide-spread changes to the civil aeronautical route structure over the West of England and Wales.
	Prior to 16 March 2006 the air route in the vicinity of West Somerset and Sedgmoor was Airway N864 with an axis 190°/010°, a lateral extent of 10 nautical miles and with the centreline approximately over Blue Anchor Bay. The vertical limits of the route extend from FL55 (5,500 feet above mean sea level) to the north of the coastline and FL65 (6,500 feet amsl) over land to an upper limit of FL245 (24,500 feet amsl). The volume of airspace within the airway is defined as controlled airspace. Above FL245 is the Upper Airspace Control Area, which covers the whole of the United Kingdom. Within the Upper Airspace Control Area above West Somerset and Sedgmoor existed the routes UN864, UN862, UM140, UM17 and UW501.
	The changes on 16 March did not affect N864, UN864, UM140, UM17 and UW501. However, a new route called N90 was introduced to the east of N864 for use between Friday evenings and Monday mornings. The lateral extent of the new controlled airspace is 12 nautical miles from the eastern boundary of N864 and with a lower limit of FL105 (10,500 feet amsl). In the Upper Control Area UN90 was introduced above N90 and UN862 was moved two nautical miles to the east to be above N862. A new Upper Air Route called UN22 was introduced parallel to and 12 nautical miles west of UN864.
	Additionally, there are proposed changes to controlled airspace associated with Bristol and Cardiff airports, which are intended to introduce new controlled airspace over part of West Somerset and Sedgmoor. It should be noted that aircraft operations associated with these airports occur today and the proposed new controlled airspace is designed to provide additional protection to these flights. The proposals have been the subject of public consultation, which included Members of Parliament, local authorities, AONB representatives and other interested parties within the areas affected. These changes are currently subject to regulatory consideration by the CAA.

British Transport Police

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when he last met the Secretary of State for Wales to discuss the review of the British Transport police; what the level of involvement of the Wales Office has been in the review; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the possible costs that may fall on Welsh police forces in the event that the British Transport police is merged with or linked to the Metropolitan police or other home county forces; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the costs to  (a) Welsh police forces,  (b) the National Assembly for Wales and  (c) Welsh local authorities in the event that the review of the British Transport police results in the policing service being operated by the industry itself.

Derek Twigg: The review of the British Transport police is ongoing and its conclusions will be reported in due course. During the course of the review, the review team have had discussions with the Welsh Assembly on a number of issues.
	When my right hon. Friend announced the review he confirmed that the Government remain committed to the principle that the costs of policing the railway should remain largely funded by the industry itself.

Building Research Establishment

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Building Research Establishment receives funding from  (a) Boeing,  (b) British Aerospace and  (c) Airbus.

Gillian Merron: The Building Research Establishment (BRE) is a private commercial consultancy and research organisation. It receives its income from a variety of clients, which include private companies, Government Departments, national governments, independent public organisations, and the European Commission. BRE receives no general funding from any commercial organisation.
	For reasons of client confidentiality, BRE does not disclose specific client identity.

Car Ownership

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the percentage of households owning  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four or more cars in each region of the United Kingdom in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004, (iii) 2005 and (iv) to date in 2006.

Stephen Ladyman: Data on household car availability in 2003 and 2004 by region in the United Kingdom are given in the following table. Data for 2005 and 2006 are not available.
	Figures for Great Britain are based on combined data from the National Travel Survey, the Family Expenditure Survey and the General Household Survey. Data for Northern Ireland are based on the Travel Survey for Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Household car ownership by Government Office Region and country: 2003 and 2004 
			  Percentage 
			   No cars  One car  Two cars  Three or more cars  All households 
			  2003  
			 North East 37 44 17 3 100 
			 North West and Merseyside 28 45 23 4 100 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 30 44 22 4 100 
			 East Midlands 22 46 26 6 100 
			 West Midlands 25 42 27 6 100 
			 Eastern 18 44 31 7 100 
			 London 36 43 18 3 100 
			 South East 17 42 33 8 100 
			 South West 19 47 27 7 100 
			   
			 England 25 44 25 5 100 
			 Wales 25 46 24 4 100 
			 Scotland 31 43 22 3 100 
			 Northern Ireland 26 47 23 5 100 
			   
			  2004  
			 North East 35 42 21 3 100 
			 North West and Merseyside 26 44 25 5 100 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 27 46 23 4 100 
			 East Midlands 22 46 26 6 100 
			 West Midlands 24 44 27 6 100 
			 Eastern 17 45 30 7 100 
			 London 39 43 15 3 100 
			 South East 18 43 32 7 100 
			 South West 16 47 31 6 100 
			   
			 England 25 44 26 5 100 
			 Wales 25 44 26 5 100 
			 Scotland 31 43 22 3 100 
			 Northern Ireland 27 42 26 4 100

Funding (Kingston upon Hull)

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding Kingston upon Hull council received from his Department  (a) in total,  (b) per mile of road and  (c) per head of population in each year since 1997-98.

Gillian Merron: The following table shows the total funding allocated to the Kingston upon Hull city council in the local transport capital settlements between 1997-98 and 2005-06 (inclusive) in terms of totals, per mile of road, and per head of population.
	
		
			  Kingston upon Hull council 
			  £000 
			   Total funding  Funds (£000) per mile( 1)  Funds (£ per head) ( 1) 
			 1997-98 3,711 8 14.9 
			 1998-99 3,012 6.5 12.1 
			 1999-2000 3,778 8.2 15.2 
			 2000-01 4,136 9 16.7 
			 2001-02 8,601 18.7 34.6 
			 2002-03 7,261 15.8 29.2 
			 2003-04 7,478 16.3 30 
			 2004-05 8,732 19 35.1 
			 2005-06 7,865 17.2 31.6 
			 (1) The population and road mileage for the year 2004 has been used in the calculations, the road mileage being 458 miles and the population 248,500.

Highways Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the operation of section 161 of the Highways Act 1980; what recent representations he has received about the operation of this  (a) section and  (b) Act; what amendments have been made to the Act; and what plans he has to amend this Act.

Stephen Ladyman: Section 161 of the Highways Act 1980 deals with penalties for causing certain kinds of danger or annoyance to users of the highway. If a person without lawful authority or excuse deposits anything whatsoever on a highway in consequence of which a user of the highway is injured or endangered, that person is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine.
	In the last 12 months the Department has dealt with two representations from members of the public concerning this section.
	The Highways Act 1980 contains more than 300 sections and 25 schedules. A large number of amendments have been made to the Highways Act in the last 26 years and the cost of collating a list would be disproportionate. As there is no central record of representations received by the Department that would enable officials to identify those about the operation of the whole Act, it would also incur disproportionate cost to do so.
	However, section 161 sub sections (1), (3) and (4) of the Highways Act 1980 were amended by sections 38 and 46 of the Criminal Justice Act 1982. These amendments raised the level of the fines. Section 161 sub section (2) was substituted by the Highways (Amendment) Act 1986 and relates to creating criminal offences in relation to lighting fires or discharging firearms or fireworks in the vicinity of the highway.
	We have no plans to amend the Highways Act 1980.

Level Crossings

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents have been recorded at level crossings in each year since 1997; and how many of these resulted in  (a) death and  (b) injury.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Incidents, death and injuries( 1)  at level crossings on Britain's level crossings, 1997 to 2004( 2) 
			   (a) Incidents  (b) Deaths  (c) Injuries 
			 1996-97 33 3 35 
			 1997-98 34 14 31 
			 1998-99 37 11 34 
			 1999-2000 32 13 28 
			 2000-01 27 10 24 
			 2001-02 27 11 11 
			 2002-03 27 13 28 
			 2003-04 28 18 25 
			 2004(3) 26 11 56 
			 (1) These figures do not include suicides.  (2 )Figures taken from HMRI's annual reports on railway safety.  (3) This is a nine-month report period as part of the transition to a European requirement that rail accident statistics be published on a calendar year basis.

Motorways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many  (a) vehicles and  (b) heavy goods vehicles used the M6 toll motorway in each of the last 24 months;
	(2)  how many  (a) vehicles and  (b) heavy goods vehicles travelled on the M6 toll motorway on average each day in the last period for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The available information is contained in the following table. The figures have been taken from information provided on the website of Midlands Expressway Ltd., the operators of the toll road.
	The company do not provide separate figures for heavy goods vehicles. The table gives average traffic figures for each month, broken down for workdays and weekends/public holidays, covering the period from the opening of the M6 Toll in December 2003 to April 2006.
	
		
			  Month  Workdays  Weekends/public holidays  All days 
			 December 2003 34,848 33,929 34,490 
			 January 2004 32,763 26,249 30,662 
			 February 2004 40,304 30,648 37,308 
			 March 2004 41,880 33,120 39,620 
			 April 2004 47,247 39,575 44,689 
			 May 2004 46,921 36,436 42,862 
			 June 2004 50,414 41,311 47,986 
			 July 2004 58,340 47,896 55,308 
			 August 2004 56,855 52,225 55,362 
			 September 2004 53,604 47,745 52,041 
			 October 2004 52,887 44,686 50,242 
			 November 2004 50,311 38,106 47,057 
			 December 2004 49,146 37,992 45,548 
			 January 2005 43,344 29,620 38,474 
			 February 2005 46,571 33,780 42,917 
			 March 2005 49,626 38,266 45,961 
			 April 2005 50,845 36,667 46,591 
			 May 2005 50,365 36,020 45,274 
			 June 2005 48,544 36,474 45,325 
			 July 2005 50,279 39,179 46,873 
			 August 2005 48,872 41,816 46,824 
			 September 2005 48,523 39,076 46,004 
			 October 2005 50,027 38,246 46,227 
			 November 200 48,852 32,844 44,583 
			 December 2005 47,499 32,633 42,224 
			 January 2006 41,632 26,414 36,723 
			 February 2006 46,660 31,190 42,240 
			 March 2006 47,726 30,033 43,160 
			 April 2006 51,811 36,954 45,868

Rail Services

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce cancellations by train operating companies (TOCs); and if he will consider rescinding franchises from those TOCs with a poor record of punctuality.

Derek Twigg: The number of trains cancelled on the network has decreased in each year since 2000-01, and the Department continues to discuss with the rail industry how to maintain this improvement.
	Franchise agreements contain minimum performance requirements, and in the case of sustained poor performance below these levels. Train operating companies can incur penalties eventually leading to termination of an agreement.

Rail Services

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role the Government are playing in the setting of the train timetable from Paddington to the West Country being discussed with Network Rail; and what part the Government will play in future alterations to the timetable.

Derek Twigg: The detailed construction of the timetable from Paddington to the West Country is a matter for First Great Western ('FGW') working within the framework provided by the Department for Transport's ('DfT') specifications. In doing so, FGW is taking into account comments received from its timetable consultation exercise, and is working with Network Rail in line with the standard rail industry timetabling processes. The DfT would play the same role in relation to any future changes which might happen to the timetable.

Road Building Costs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average difference between road building tender costs and road building outturn costs has been in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table records the average percentage difference, in each of the last 10 years, between works tender cost and works forecast outturn for completed publicly funded trunk road and motorway improvement projects, costing more than £5 million, for which the Highways Agency is responsible.
	Average percentage variance between works tender cost and works forecast outturn for completed major projects
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 1996-97 48 
			 1997-98 38 
			 1998-99 28 
			 1999-2000 43 
			 2000-01 30 
			 2001-02 10 
			 2002-03 18 
			 2003-04 12 
			 2004-05 9 
			 2005-06 6 
		
	
	The Highways Agency does not hold the information to enable a similar comparison to be made for privately funded DBFO projects.
	Non-trunk roads projects are the responsibility of the relevant highways authority and the information requested is not collated centrally in relation to those schemes.

Road Fuel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he has  (a) taken and  (b) plans to take (i) to make ethanol cheaper than petrol and (ii) to encourage motorists to convert their car to use ethanol; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will introduce an interest free loan scheme to allow motorists to convert their car to use ethanol; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government already support the use of bioethanol as a transport fuel by means of a 20 pence per litre fuel duty incentive. Since this was introduced in January 2005, sales of bioethanol in the UK have increased from zero to a monthly average of some 7 million litres. We have also announced that we will introduce a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation in 2008, which will require all transport fuel suppliers to ensure that biofuels account for a certain percentage of their total fuel sales. In 2010, the level of the Obligation will reach 5 per cent., which should mean that annual sales of bioethanol reach over a billion litres a year.
	European Union fuel quality standards currently allow 5 per cent. ethanol to be blended into petrol, and all petrol vehicles are already capable of running on these blends. Above that level, a number of technical modifications are required to vehicles and to refuelling points. We introduced a new grant programme in 2005 to support the installation of alternative refuelling infrastructure, and through this we are supporting the installation of a small number of high level ethanol pumps. In addition, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the March 2006 Budget that cars manufactured to run on high level ethanol blends will qualify for the reduced rate of Vehicle Excise Duty for alternatively fuelled cars. Beyond that, the Government have no current plans for other incentives.

Road Funding (Somerset)

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much central Government funding has been allocated to Somerset county council for road improvement in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The Department has allocated Somerset county council £92 million of central Government funding in the last five years, through its Local Transport Plan for highways capital maintenance and transport improvement schemes (each costing less than £5 million). It is up to Somerset county council to determine exactly how it spends this money. These figures are broken down in the following table.
	Somerset county council has also received £12 million of funding for the North West Taunton Package. The North West Taunton Package consists of a new road bridge crossing the railway line as well as a 600 space park and ride site. It also includes bus priority and traffic calming measures.
	Somerset county council has also received Government funding support for its day-to-day roads activities through revenue support grant. Revenue support grant provides support for a range of local services and does not include a specific allocation for roads.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Nature of capital funding  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Highways Maintenance 12.306 10.763 12.766 15.958 15.958 
			 Integrated Transport Block 4.881 5.001 5.841 4.058 4.294 
			 Total 17.187 15.764 18.607 20.016 20.252

Road Safety

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents have been attributed to vehicles skidding in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents in Great Britain reported to the police involving one or more vehicles skidding in the years 1997 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) is given in the following table.
	
		
			  The number of accidents involving a vehicle skidding: Great Britain, 1997-2004 
			   Number 
			 1997 56,820 
			 1998 55,274 
			 1999 54,065 
			 2000 53,216 
			 2001 54,026 
			 2002 52,213 
			 2003 49,279 
			 2004 48,069

Road Safety

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many head-on collisions have led to  (a) fatalities and  (b) serious injury in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police involving two vehicles with frontal impacts, leading to  (a) fatalities and  (b) serious injuries, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of road accidents leading to fatalities and serious injuries involving two vehicles with frontal impacts( 1) : Great Britain, 1997-2004 
			   Fatal accidents( 2)  Serious accidents( 2) 
			 1997 486 5,229 
			 1998 480 4,914 
			 1999 473 4,921 
			 2000 478 4,582 
			 2001 466 4,470 
			 2002 478 4,220 
			 2003 461 4,111 
			 2004 433 3,765 
			 (1) May include a minority of road accidents where both vehicles had frontal impacts but not necessarily with the other vehicle.  (2) The severity of the most seriously injured casualty in the accident. 
		
	
	Road accidents involving more than two vehicles have been excluded because head-on collisions cannot be accurately identified from the information held in these cases.

Roads (Suffolk)

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total mileage travelled on roads in Suffolk by  (a) all vehicles and  (b) cars in each of the past 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table gives the information requested for each year from 1995 to 2004 (the latest year for which estimates are available):
	
		
			  Estimated distance travelled in Suffolk 
			  (million vehicle miles) 
			   All motor vehicles  Cars 
			 1995 3,182 2,529 
			 1996 3,262 2,587 
			 1997 3,369 2,652 
			 1998 3,403 2,656 
			 1999 3,472 2,712 
			 2000 3,476 2,706 
			 2001 3,531 2,748 
			 2002 3,610 2,806 
			 2003 3,657 2.827 
			 2004 3,709 2,861

Transport Expenditure

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected central Government expenditure is per head of population for local public transport for  (a) London,  (b) each of the English passenger transport executive areas and  (c) each of the English regions in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) each of the following five years.

Gillian Merron: Table 9 of the Department's Annual Report 2005 (Cm 6527) includes the Department's identifiable expenditure on local public transport by region for 2003-04. No comprehensive projections of central government expenditure for local public transport in future years have been made, as the allocation of funding to different functions depends on decisions made by individual authorities.

Trunk Roads (Litter)

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve litter collection on trunk roads in Northumberland under the control of the Highways Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency is responsible only for the A1(T), A19(T) and A69(T) in Northumberland.
	Under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990: Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, the responsibility for clearing litter on the A1(T) and A19(T) in Northumberland lies with local authorities. In the case of the A1(T) and A19(T), the Highways Agency works with local authorities in Northumberland and is currently negotiating agreements to undertake litter picking on their behalf. In addition, it is also the Highways Agency's policy to collect litter during routine grass cutting operations and let local authorities know when traffic management is in place so that they can make use of this for clearing litter. Routine grass cutting operations in Northumberland are scheduled to begin in June this year.
	The A69 is a Design Build Finance & Operate (DBFO) route and responsibility for the removal of litter rests with the DBFO Company Roadlink (A69) Ltd. under the terms of their contract.

Agricultural Support

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Department has allocated to supporting organic farming in the last five years; and how much of this was to assist transition of farms to organic farming.

Ben Bradshaw: The amount allocated over the last five years to support organic farming under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) and its predecessor, the Organic Aid Scheme (OAS), including support for conversion was £49.8 million.
	The OFS closed to new applications at the end of March 2005. It was replaced by Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS). Under OELS, the cash spend to date is just over £753,000. Some £9.8 million has also been committed over the next 3 years to fund the cost of conversion under this new scheme.
	Over the last five years Defra has also provided funding for the Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS), a free advice service for farmers interested in converting to organic farming, at a cost of £1.3 million.

Agricultural Support

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much financial support the Soil Association received from the Department in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: For each of the financial years 2001/2002 until 2005/2006 the following grant payments were made to the Soil Association and its associated certification companies, Soil Association Certification Limited and ASCISCO.
	
		
			  (a) Payments made by Defra to Soil Association Certification Limited and ASCISCO as part of the partnership agreement with organic certification bodies in connection with the implementation of the EU Organic inspection regime 
			   Amount (£) 
			 2001-02 261,827.50 
			 2002-03 278,964.00 
			 2003-04 283,820.25 
			 2004-05 296,662.80 
			 2005-06 284,274.40 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Grant payments to the Soil Association under the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) and Vocational Training Scheme (VTS) and the England Objective 1 programme 
			   Amount (£) 
			 2001-02 146,262.88 
			 2002-03 274,689.60 
			 2003-04 365,917.08 
			 2004-05 341,676.62 
			 2005-06 588,648.98

Avian Influenza

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the use of ventilation shutdown as a method of killing birds for the purpose of disease control with Annex E and Article 3 of Council Directive 93/119/EEC on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The use of ventilation shutdown as a method of killing birds for the purpose of disease control is compatible with EU Directive 93/119/EC. The directive allows for disease control methods not specifically listed in the text of the directive, provided any pain or suffering to the birds is unavoidable. Appropriate measures must be taken to kill the animals as soon as possible and before they regain consciousness. Nothing can be done to the animals before it is ascertained they are dead.
	Any use of ventilation shutdown as a method of killing diseased birds would be compliant with these requirements and be restricted to circumstances where no other method, as outlined in Schedule 9 of the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended), could be practicably employed for the killing of large numbers of birds on a specific farm.

Avian Influenza

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment has been made by his officials of the animal welfare implications of the use of ventilation shutdown as a method of killing birds for the purpose of disease control; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  in what circumstances the use of ventilation shutdown as a method of killing birds for the purpose of disease control would be authorised; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I have received veterinary advice that ventilation shutdown (VSD) is unlikely to deliver welfare standards equal to other recognised culling methods available.
	The use of ventilation shutdown would therefore only be authorised as a last resort where no other method, as outlined in Schedule 9 of the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995, could be practicably employed for the killing of large numbers of birds on a specific farm for disease control purposes.
	The priority in dealing with a notifiable animal disease is to ensure that public health and safety of poultry workers is protected, particularly where, like with some strains of the avian influenza virus, there is a risk of human infection. Disease outbreaks must be dealt with quickly and effectively to reduce the likelihood of further spread of disease and it remains our intention to kill birds by the most humane method possible.
	We must however be prepared for all eventualities including extreme circumstances where catchers are unavailable, logistical capabilities are stretched and where a grave threat to public health exists. The risk of that may be very small but it is right that we provide for it.
	To enhance our capability to kill large numbers of birds through humane means, we have developed, and continue to develop, the use of gas or gas mixtures. Such techniques have been endorsed by the Humane Slaughter Association and were used successfully in the recent disease incidence in Norfolk. We expect that such techniques will be useable in the great majority of circumstances where an outbreak occurs.

Avian Influenza

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the occasions since September 2005 on which blood samples from birds initially tested positive for avian influenza virus types; where the birds were located in each case; what action was taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) the State Veterinary Service in each case; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Since September 2005 approximately 5,000 blood samples, from 435 domestic poultry premises, have been tested. In October, samples taken from a number of geese on a premises in Somerset tested positive for antibodies to H5N2 and H5N7. Movement restrictions were served on the premises and a veterinary inquiry was initiated. Clinical examination revealed that the geese were healthy. Further sampling and laboratory tests did not isolate avian influenza viruses. The presence of infection with avian influenza viruses was ruled out. It is likely that the positive antibody result was due to previous exposure to low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses. Disease was not confirmed on the premises.
	In April 2006, H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed in a sample from the partially decomposed body of a swan found in Cellardyke, Fife, Scotland. Movement restrictions were put in place and a 2,500 sq km wild bird risk area was established. No further cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 where found, restrictions in the wild bird surveillance zone were lifted on 1 May and the wild bird risk area was ended.
	H7N3 low pathogenicity avian influenza was confirmed on three poultry farms near Dereham, Norfolk in late April 2006. A low pathogenic avian influenza restricted zone with a radius of 1km was imposed around the infected premises. Movement restrictions were served on the premises and the three flocks were culled. Surveillance and testing was carried out on all additional premises belonging to the owner of the infected premises.

Bonfires

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department produces for members of the public on dealing with nuisance bonfires; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Most complaints about domestic bonfires are dealt with by local authorities under their statutory nuisance powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
	Guidance for members of the public on what to do if they are suffering from smoke nuisance is available from the Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/smoke/index.htrn

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the unit cost is for a Bovigam gamma interferon bovine tuberculosis test; and what estimate he has made of the economies of scale which would be achieved through the bulk purchase of the Bovigam test.

Ben Bradshaw: The provisional estimated unit cost for a Bovigam IFNg (gamma interferon) bovine tuberculosis test in 2006-07 is £10.85.
	It is not possible to estimate what economies of scale might be achieved, through the bulk purchase of the Bovigam test, until new policies for the increased use of the test are finalised.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence his Department has assessed on a possible correlation between herd size and  (a) the likelihood of a bovine tuberculosis outbreak and  (b) the length of time that a herd is likely to be under restriction.

Ben Bradshaw: Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) has a complex epidemiology which makes it difficult to separate out the effects of individual factors.
	DEFRA has carried out, at the request of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB, two studies (the TB99 Epidemiological Questionnaire and the Case Control Study 2005) to investigate TB risk factors, and to identify those that appear to be key. Initial analyses of TB99 and CCS2005 data show that larger herds are more likely to have a TB breakdown.
	The length of time a herd is under restriction is variable, and it is not known if larger herds remain under restriction longer than smaller herds.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what advice he has received from the Independent Scientific Group on using gamma interferon to control bovine tuberculosis in cattle;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the merits of using the gamma interferon bovine tuberculosis test more widely.

Ben Bradshaw: The Independent Scientific Group has welcomed Defra's intention to increase the use of gamma interferon (IFNg) as an additional testing protocol to control bovine tuberculosis, and has also agreed the priority uses recommended by the Working Group, which was established by Defra to prepare and deliver a policy for wider roll out of the test.
	The increased use of IFNg, in parallel with the skin test, has the potential to significantly increase the detection of infected cattle in herds where TB has been confirmed. Defra is already using the IFNg test on an ad hoc basis in identified problem TB herds. About 9,000 such tests were undertaken in 2005.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the results were of research project SE3013 into the specificity of gamma interferon; and what implications the results have for controlling bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: It was research project SB4021 (rather than SE3013) that was established to evaluate the specificity of the gamma interferon (IFNg) test. This project confirmed the findings of previous studies by concluding that the commercially available IFNg test had a specificity of between 95-97 per cent.
	Findings from SB4021 supported the view that it would be inappropriate to use IFNg for routine screening purposes because it risks producing too many false positive results. However, there would be value in making greater use of it, as an ancillary test, in a variety of herd breakdown situations. Defra is currently using these findings to develop new policies for the increased use of the IFNg test.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether wildlife unit supervisors employed by his Department in connection with the Randomised Badger Culling Trials have been served with redundancy notices; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 16 May 2006
	The Wildlife Units at Aston Down and Polwhele have not been closed. Fieldwork in support of the trial was completed at the end of March, and staff are working to complete trial data entry and final quality checking of data.
	Decisions about the future of these units will be taken following Ministerial decisions on future policy for the control of Bovine Tuberculosis in England. No compulsory redundancy notices have been served.
	The Wildlife Officers who carried out the cage trapping in the Badger Culling Trial have been told that their posts are surplus, and efforts are being made to redeploy these staff. Those indicating a preference to leave have received offers of voluntary redundancy on compulsory terms. This decision was based on a cost benefit analysis showing that state operated culling could lead to higher costs and slower delivery compared to other options.
	The remaining posts, including the Field Supervisors will be retained until the staffing needs to support the new policy are known.

Climate Change

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what role Local Strategic Partnerships will have in devising climate change strategies;
	(2)  how many  (a) local authorities and  (b) Local Strategic Partnerships have signed the Nottingham declaration on climate change.

Ian Pearson: The Government's new Climate Change Programme, published in March 2006, recognises the important role Sustainable Community Strategies, Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) and Local Area Agreements have to play in tackling climate change. It includes information on the role of the Sustainable Community Strategy framework as a route for local authorities to strengthen the delivery of Sustainable development at the local level, including with partners on LSPs. Further information is available at:
	http:/www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/climatechange/uk/ukccp/pdf/ukccp06-all.pdf
	So far, over 100 local authorities have signed the Nottingham declaration, each pledging to actively tackle climate change within their area. We do not have information on how many Local Strategic Partnerships are also signatories. The response to the declaration is being coordinated by the Energy Saving Trust, and more information can be found on their website:
	http://www.est.org.uk/housingbuildings/localauthorities/NottinghamDeclaration/

Dairy Calves

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to meet representatives of the dairy industry to discuss options other than live export for the marketing of UK dairy-bred calves; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I am meeting representatives of the dairy industry in July to discuss these issues. Officials are also in discussion with the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) and other English farming organisations.
	Defra is committed to the welfare of all animals and we arte strictly enforcing rules governing the health and welfare of livestock during transport. We also prefer a trade in meat to the long distance transport of live animals for rearing or slaughter, whether in the UK or across borders, and would like to see a lower limit for maximum journey times.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in her Department have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate numbers in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: Since DEFRA came into existence on 9 June 2001 three members of staff have faced formal disciplinary procedures for breaches of IT policy, one in each of the following years, 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05. Of these, two officers (2002-03 and 2004-05), were dismissed and the other (2003-04) resigned before formal procedures were completed.
	No officers have faced formal disciplinary procedures in respect of inappropriate use of the telecoms system.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals have been employed in her Department in each of the last five years; what vetting procedures are in place for each category of staff; and whether these include liaison with foreign law enforcement agencies.

Barry Gardiner: The Department does not maintain a central record which allows DEFRA to differentiate between EU and non-EU foreign nationals. Recruitment into DEFRA is carried out in accordance with the civil service nationality rules.
	The need for an individual to undergo national security vetting, and the level of vetting that is appropriate will depend on the particular post they are going to fill. Where necessary, this will include a check of time spent overseas.
	The vetting procedures for DEFRA follow Cabinet Office guidelines with no distinction made between the categories of staff identified in the question.

Emissions Trading

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the auctioning of carbon emission permits under Phase 2 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Government are currently consulting on the proposal to auction (between 2 and 10 per cent. of the total amount of allowances, as part of the consultation on the draft plan for the second phase of the Scheme (2008-20l2). We have proposed that these allowances should be deducted from the allocation to the Electricity Supply Industry sector. The consultation closes on 23 May 2006. A final decision on the use of auctioning in the Phase II plan will be taken alongside the final decision on the total quantity of allowances for Phase II.

Emissions Trading

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the European Commission regarding the deadline for submitting the UK National Allocation Plan for Phase 2 of the Emissions Trading Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The EU Emissions Trading Scheme Directive states that the Phase II National Allocation Plan (NAP) should be submitted to the Commission by 30 June 2006 and the final allocation decision by 31 December 2006.
	I wrote to Commissioner Dimas last week and am meeting him on 22 May 2006 for the first time since taking office. I expect to cover a number of issues. My officials have already had discussions with their counterparts at the Commission regarding the deadline.
	This is a challenging deadline and in order to learn lessons from Phase I and to expand the Scheme to cover the activities set out in the revised Commission Guidance, the UK Government recognise that it will not be possible to collect and process the data in time to meet the first of these deadlines. The Government are however aiming to submit its NAP as soon as possible after the June deadline and to submit our final allocation decision by 31 December 2006.

Farming (Bassetlaw)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) owner and  (b) tenant farmers there were in Bassetlaw in 2005.

Barry Gardiner: Numbers of farmers and holdings for Bassetlaw constituency at June 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			   Holdings  Farmers 
			  (a) Wholly owned holdings 234 250 
			  (b) Wholly rented holdings 59 82 
			 Total(1) 469 555 
			 (1 )Including mixed tenure and seasonally rented holdings.   Note:  Farmers includes full and part-time farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding.)   Source:  June Agricultural Survey

Fisheries

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2041, on fisheries, if she will list the  (a) countries and  (b) authorities which record estimates of discards; and what those known figures are for the last available year.

Ben Bradshaw: Since 2002 all EU countries have been required to collect data on discarding under Council Regulation 1543/2000 but the information is not yet compiled systematically. Last year, the European Commission's Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) requested data on discards from the North Sea and Skaggerak, Kattegat, Eastern and Western Baltic, West of Scotland, Irish and Celtic Seas. The UK, Germany, Sweden, Latvia, Denmark and the Netherlands provided data. UK data for Northern Ireland vessels were not available.
	From the available data, STECF produced estimates of total discards as follows:
	
		
			  Estimates of discards in 2004 (tonnes) 
			   North Sea/Skaggerak  West of Scotland 
			 Cod 7,058 90 
			 Haddock 16,845 4,944 
			 Whiting 45,239 2,617 
			 Plaice 62,089 0 
			 Sole 2,683 0 
			 Nephrops No estimate No estimate 
			 Saithe 9,001 0 
		
	
	Data on discarding remains scarce and these estimates should be treated with caution.
	STECF has begun work to develop a "Discards Atlas"—a compendium of available information from member states on discards as a resource for fisheries science. Member states will be asked to provide data by the end of this year and after database creation, quality checking, compilation, mapping etc. it is hoped that the atlas will be available in 2007-08.

Gamebirds

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) pheasants,  (b) partridges and  (c) ducks are being kept for (i) meat production, (ii) showing, (iii) breeding for shooting, (iv) rearing for shooting, (v) releasing for shooting and (vi) other purposes at premises listed in the Great Britain Poultry Register; and how many such premises there are, broken down by species kept.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Duck  Pheasant  Partridge 
			  Production type  Bird  Premise  Bird  Premise  Bird  Premise 
			 Reared for meat 4,137,400 557 111,088 26 82,650 11 
			 Breeding for meat 129,333 183 4,162 23 47,142 9 
			 Showing 26,562 466 7,390 86 5,216 18 
			 Breeding for shooting 90,852 132 3,075,707 765 1,287,211 351 
			 Rearing for shooting 813,220 627 21,073,754 2,755 8,047,225 1,500 
			 Releasing for shooting 532,953 1,318 1,4871,092 6,651 4,789,320 2,827 
			 Egg layers 86,281 1,697 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Breeding for egg laying 232,087 475 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Other production type 395,080 2,205 685,449 534 172,063 166 
			 Total 6,443,768 7,660 39,828,642 10,840 14,430,827 4,882 
		
	
	This information was produced using data from the Great Britain Poultry Register taken on 12 May 2006. All data are subject to change.
	The GB Poultry Register allows people to register themselves as a commercial hatchery without necessarily indicating which species they hatch hence the unknown category. It is also possible that premises may have registered themselves as having an incubator capacity but have not registered that they use this for commercial purposes.
	The GB Poultry Register captures data under the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (No2) Regulations 2005. Registration is mandatory for premises with 50 or more birds kept for commercial purposes. In addition, the register also includes voluntary registrations for non-commercial premises and those where fewer than 50 poultry are kept.
	The completeness of the data is dependant on the level of compliance with the legislation as specified above. Owners are required to de-register if they no longer keep poultry.

Gamebirds

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many premises listed in the Great Britain Poultry Register in respect of the keeping of  (a) pheasants and  (b) partridges receive (i) live birds and (ii) eggs from outside Great Britain.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Species  Number of premises 
			 Pheasants 191 
			 Partridges 131 
			 Both 118 
		
	
	This information was produced using data from the Great Britain Poultry Register taken on 12 May 2006. All data are subject to change.
	The Poultry Register combines the import of birds and eggs from outside GB into one single question.
	The GB Poultry Register captures data under the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (No2) Regulations 2005. Registration is mandatory for premises with 50 or more birds kept for commercial purposes. In addition, the register also includes voluntary registrations for non-commercial premises and those where fewer than 50 poultry are kept.
	The completeness of the data is dependant on the level of compliance with the legislation as specified above. Owners are required to de-register if they no longer keep poultry.

Gamebirds

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many premises listed in the Great Britain Poultry Register in respect of the keeping of  (a) pheasants and  (b) partridges have a pond, lake or open reservoir within the boundary of the premises or next to the premises.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Species  Number 
			 Pheasants(1) 6,099 
			 Partridges(2) 2,777 
			 Both 2,660 
			 Total 11,536 
			 (1) No partridges.  (2) No pheasants. 
		
	
	This information was produced using data from the Great Britain Poultry Register taken on 12 May 2006. All data are subject to change.
	The GB Poultry Register captures data under the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (No2) Regulations 2005. Registration is mandatory for premises with 50 or more birds kept for commercial purposes. In addition, the register also includes voluntary registrations for non-commercial premises and those where fewer than 50 poultry are kept.
	The completeness of the data is dependant on the level of compliance with the legislation as specified above. Owners are required to de-register if they no longer keep poultry.

Greenhouse Gases

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the greenhouse gas emissions are in carbon equivalent per kilometre of the most commonly used aircraft in the United Kingdom; what the carbon equivalent emissions per passenger kilometre would be in each case if the aircraft were fully loaded at its normal passenger capacity.

Ian Pearson: The Government are currently in discussion with our contractors to determine whether UK specific aircraft emissions data can be generated. The Department will communicate this information if it becomes available in due course.
	The most recent related figures on aircraft emissions come from the Defra Guidelines for Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, published in July 2005. This is available at:
	http://defraweb/environment/business/envrp/gas/envrpgas-annexes.pdf
	These show that, averaged out, emissions of CO2 per passenger kilometre are 0.11 kg on a typical long haul flight. On a short haul flight the figure is 0.15 kg. Assumptions for a long haul flight refer to a 5,000 km journey on a typical 450 seat capacity aircraft, with a 70 per cent. load factor. Assumptions for a short haul flight refer to a 500 km journey on a typical 128-seat capacity aircraft, with a 65 per cent. load factor.

Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in her Department have been enabled to work from home in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Department currently has 2,000 registered users for dial-up network access and 1,000 registered users for network access via broadband. Of these, about 300 are registered for both, so the total is about 2,700 staff who are currently enabled to work from home.
	We do not have historical data for previous years, nor is specific data held on the precise extent of home working.

Migrant Labour (Farms)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings his Department has had in the last three years in which he or his predecessors discussed with the National Farmers' Union  (a) extending and  (b) speeding up the process for migrant work permits.

Barry Gardiner: Defra Ministers have not specifically discussed extending and speeding up the process for work permits for migrant workers at any of their meetings with the NFU in the past three years.
	However, Ministers have attended meetings with the NFU and other stakeholder organisations in recent years at which the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) was discussed. SAWS is a long-standing quota-based scheme which operates outside the normal work permit rules. The scheme allows students from non-EU countries to take up agricultural work in the UK without the need to obtain a work permit for periods of up to six months.

Migrant Labour (Farms)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the contribution of migrant workers to the rural economy in 2005.

Barry Gardiner: My Department does not hold this information.
	Research commissioned by the Home Office into the use of migrant labour(1) by employers indicates that migrant workers have become an important source of labour, particularly in agriculture and the hospitality sector. This is supported by research commissioned by Defra in 2005 to inform the implementation of the Gangmasters Licensing Act 2004(2). This research suggests that in the food manufacturing industry, which represents an important part of the rural economy, some 90 per cent. of agency workers are migrants.
	In addition a recent study published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation(3) shows that employers are successfully recruiting migrant workers to take up jobs which traditionally have been hard to fill in the agriculture, construction and hospitality industries. Employers said that they value migrant workers for their reliability and strong work ethic. There is much anecdotal evidence from SAWS (seasonal agricultural workers) operators that migrant workers have a positive effect on the local economy in their use of local services such as shops, banks, etc.
	(1) Employers Use of Migrant Labour, Institute for Employment Studies—March 2006.
	(2) Secondary Processing in Food Manufacture and Use of Gang Labour, Precision Prospecting—2005.
	(3) Fair enough? Central and East European migrants in low-wage employment in the UK, Joseph Rowntree Foundation—May 2005.

Ministerial Flights

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the flights taken by Ministers in his Department since 2001; and what measures to offset the carbon emissions were taken for each flight.

Ian Pearson: All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the lists are available in the Library. Information for 2005-06 is currently being compiled and will be published when it is ready.
	All central Government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases Certified Emissions Reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with high sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries. In addition, offsetting the flights of Defra Ministers have been backdated to 1 April 2005.
	Other detailed information on flights could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions Ministers of state in his Department stayed overnight in  (a) five star,  (b) four star and  (c) three star hotels on foreign visits in each of the last three years.

Barry Gardiner: All ministerial travel, including overnight accommodation, complies with the terms of the 'Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers'. When travelling on official business Ministers make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. DEFRA's financial records for ministerial travel do not include details of the rating of hotels at which Ministers stayed on foreign visits and this information could be generated only at disproportionate cost.

Oak Trees

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of mature oak trees in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: A national woodland survey is carried out by the Forestry Commission at intervals of between 15 and 20 years. The most recent report for England was published in 2001 and for Wales in 2002.
	The survey reports include estimates of:  (a) the area of oak woodland;  (b) individual oak trees; and  (c) numbers of oak trees growing in small groups or narrow linear features.
	An estimate of the planting year is included in the reports where woodland is, or could become, capable of producing wood of a size and quality suitable for sawlogs (High Forest Category 1).
	This information for England and Wales is reproduced in the following tables:
	
		
			  All oak woodland and trees (i.e. groups a-c above)  
			  England  
			 Oak woodland over 2.0 hectares in size 147,847 hectares 
			 Oak woodland between 0.1 hectare and 2.0 hectares 10,818 hectares 
			 Oak trees outside woodland 6,872,800 trees 
			   
			  Wales  
			 Oak woodland over 2.0 hectares in size 38,092 hectares 
			 Oak woodland between 0.1 hectare and 2.0 hectares 4,826 hectares 
			 Oak trees outside woodland 1,569,100 trees 
		
	
	
		
			  Planting year class for oak (i.e. High Forest Category 1) 
			Hectares 
			  Planting year  England  Wales 
			 1991-98 5,208 394 
			 1981-90 2,832 336 
			 1971-80 2,482 27 
			 1961-70 3,221 266 
			 1951-61 7,702 430 
			 1941-50 8,839 1,411 
			 1931-40 7,450 2,631 
			 1921-30 12,922 1,298 
			 1911-20 16,561 1,564 
			 1901-10 8,047 170 
			 1861-1900 36,975 2675 
			 Pre1861 12,997 197 
			 Total 125,236 11,399

Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: This information is not held centrally within the Department, and therefore could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

Recycling

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average cost per tonne of recycling waste material in  (a) Swindon and  (b) England in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra does not gather information on individual recycling schemes or the costs of recycling waste material. These will vary depending on a number of factors, including the collection method used by a local authority, the materials collected and the market for recycled materials.

Reprocessed Fuel Oil

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will take steps to enable the classification of reprocessed fuel oil as a product rather than waste.

Ben Bradshaw: Whether or not a substance is "waste" within the meaning of Article 1(a) of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) (2006/12/EC) is a matter that must be determined on the facts of the case and the interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts. It is not a function of the Government to classify or to declassify any particular substance as waste or non-waste.
	The Environment Agency is designated as a "competent authority" for the purpose of implementing the WFD in England and Wales and is required to give effect to the directive's definition of waste?as interpreted by the European Court of Justice and our national courts.
	Guidance available on the Department's website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lapc/aqnotes/pdf/aqi04-06.pdf confirms that, on the facts of the case and taking account of case law by the courts, the Environment Agency's view is that recovered fuel oil (RFO) has not been fully recovered within the meaning of the WFD and does not cease to be waste until used as a means to generate energy.
	Nevertheless, organisations are free to present to the Environment Agency any significant, new information about RFO which would satisfy the Agency that it falls within the very limited circumstances in which waste may cease to be waste before being used as fuel.

Stewardship

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints regarding the entry level stewardship scheme have been received, broken down by  (a) subject of complaint and  (b) region.

Barry Gardiner: The number of complaints received by the Rural Development Service regarding Entry Level Stewardship Scheme, according to records up to 1 April 2006, is as follows:
	
		
			  Region  Rural land register or mapping delays  ELS application delays  Policy  Payment delays 
			 East 35 17 1 21 
			 East Midlands 35 0 1 3 
			 North East 1 1 0 1 
			 North West 0 0 0 0 
			 South East 5 0 6 0 
			 South West 1 1 0 0 
			 West Midlands 2 0 1 5 
			 Yorks and the Humber 2 1 0 3 
			 HQ/SDID 8 2 8 2 
			 Total 89 22 17 35 
		
	
	It is important to note that there is an overlap between the first two categories of complaint, with the first often leading to the second. Where mapping delays have been specified, the complaint has been allocated to that column. Otherwise application delays have been allocated to column 2. No individual complaint has been recorded more than once.
	The relatively high figures under the rural land register heading for Eastern and East Midlands regions reflect a higher degree of mapping issues associated with larger farms in the East of England.

Stewardship

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of farmers have been paid  (a) on time and  (b) late under the entry level stewardship scheme in each month for which records are available.

Barry Gardiner: At 11 May 2006 progress with payments under entry level stewardship was as follows:
	
		
			Payments made  Not selected for payment 
			   Payments due  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 February 6,200 5,824 93.9 376 6.1 
			 March 1,546 1,414 91.5 132 8.5 
			 April 1,351 1,205 89.2 146 10.8 
		
	
	Those not selected for payment are for a variety of reasons including cases where agreements require amendment prior to payment or where warnings need to be resolved.

Stewardship

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what proportion of the budget allocated for farm payments has been disbursed under the entry level stewardship scheme.

Barry Gardiner: At 11 May 2006 the value of payments made under entry level stewardship was some £15.5 million. This represents 28 per cent. of the budget available for entry level stewardship for the year 2006-07. In 2006-07, over £55 million has been allocated to ELS (inc OELS) to cover the cost of signed agreements that will be accounted for in this financial year.

Tallow

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the economic impact of constraints on the use of tallow for fuel.

Ian Pearson: There may be several constraints on the use of tallow as fuel, such as its availability and the availability of suitable plant or equipment in which to burn it.
	As the law currently stands, the burning of waste tallow is also subject to the Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC) which imposes strict operating and monitoring conditions on any plant incinerating or co-incinerating waste. My Department consulted in 2002 on draft legislation to transpose those requirements. The consultation paper contains a regulatory impact assessment of the implementation of those requirements and is available on the Defra website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consult/wasteincin/index.htm

Upland Areas

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding was made available by English Nature through management agreements to  (a) farmers and  (b) commoners to assist in the management of upland areas and commons in each year since 2001.

Barry Gardiner: English Nature has provided funding for land managers in the uplands, primarily, through the Wildlife Enhancement Scheme. In addition, additional funds were provided through the Sheep and Wildlife Enhancement Scheme. This was a special two year project that commenced in 2004, and targeted the particular problems in the uplands arising from overgrazing by sheep.
	
		
			   Total amount (£) 
			  Financial year  Upland  Upland commons 
			 2001-02 1,955,000 669,000 
			 2002-03 2,368,000 909,000 
			 2003-04 4,635,000 2,306,000 
			 2004-05 5,149,000 3,126,000 
			 2005-06 3,254,000 1,312,000 
		
	
	The figures for upland commons are a subset of the figures for the uplands.

Water Metering

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of allowing water companies discretion in selecting households for water metering.

Ian Pearson: The Government examined the effects of metering in its review of water charging in 1997-99. The findings informed the development of the Water Industry Act 1999, which provides domestic customers with the option of a measured water bill or to remain on an unmeasured charging basis for water used only for normal household purposes in their present home.
	DEFRA is currently leading work on metering in the context of the Water Saving Group. This involves targeted action to increase metering in water stressed areas, and to improve the understanding and delivery of metering generally. As part of this work, DEFRA is assessing how the balance between company discretion and customer choice should be struck.

White Papers

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many White Papers were published by her Department in 2005; how many included an animal health or welfare component; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra published eight White Papers within the Command Papers series in 2005. The following is a list of these:
	Draft Bill—Modernising Rural Delivery;
	New UK Sustainable Development;
	Departmental Report;
	Government Rule of Strategy and draft Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill;
	Government Response to the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) Inquiry to the International Challenge to Climate Change;
	Government Response to EFRA Report on Waste Policy and the Landfill Directive;
	Autumn Performance Report;
	Annual Review: Controls on Imports of Animal Products: April 2004—March 2005 (this Command Paper included an animal health or welfare component).

Postal Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) daily and  (b) annual volume of hon. Members' post dispatched from the House; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The volume of mail dispatched from the House daily or annually is not recorded as there is no business need to do so. The best available estimate is that around five van loads of mail a day are dispatched from the House, suggesting around 18,000 items a working day.

Postal Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to his answer of 10 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 291-92W, on House mail services, what percentage reduction on the normal price of first and second class postage is given by the Royal Mail for Parliament's mail service; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: No percentage reduction is offered to commercial customers by Royal Mail using standard tariff letters. Reductions are available only if bulk posting arrangements are followed or if mail is meter franked.

Postal Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 291-92W, on House mail services, if the Commission will consider negotiating with Royal Mail a bulk purchase or business mail discount for hon. Members' post dispatched from the House, and for use by hon. Members who are prepared to bring their constituency post to the House for posting; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: In order for House mail to qualify for bulk purchase or business mail discounts, the mail dispatch would at a minimum have to be consolidated and sorted into postcoded bundles; carry typed addresses only; be fully postcoded; have all letters, flats and packages separated and consolidated into postcode area; and be posted before 3 pm each day, rather than the current cut-off of 7 pm each day. These conditions are incompatible with the working practices of individual Members.

Stationery Supplies

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to his answer of 10 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 291-92W, on stationery supplies, if the Commission will make arrangements for hon. Members to obtain stationery of a less high quality and at a lower price than that presently provided; if the Commission will consider negotiating a stationery contract which does not rely on next day delivery and encourages hon. Members to order stationery well in advance but which maintains emergency supply arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The House moved to next day delivery of stationery in 1997 to reduce the requirement for individual stock holding that led to over ordering, wastage and eventually obsolete stationery. This is a service which many Members and their staff welcome, particularly those with constituency offices in remote locations.
	The present stationery range includes environmentally friendly paper in particular sizes and weights so that it can be used in a range of printers. The addition of lower quality paper would be unlikely to result in cost savings, given the consequent reduction in the volume of each type of paper ordered.

Vote Office Print Unit

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will list the parliamentary publications produced by the Vote Office Print Unit in each of the last six months for which information is available; what his estimate is of the savings to the House by the use of the Vote Office Print Unit during this period to produce publications previously printed by other sources; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Parliamentary publications in all the following categories were produced or reprinted by the Print Services Unit in each of the last six months: House of Commons and House of Lords Bills and Explanatory Notes; House of Commons and House of Lords Debates; Standing Committee Debates ('Brown Covers'); House of Commons Papers; Select Committee transcripts of evidence. In total 1,491 titles were printed and 27,309 copies produced. The estimated savings by the use of the Print Services Unit during this period to print items previously printed by other sources is £103,650.

Vote Office Print Unit

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff are employed by the Vote Office Print Unit, broken down by grade; if the Commission will increase the number of staff in the Unit; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 12 July 2005,  Official Report, column 859W. There are no plans to increase the number of staff in the Unit.

Vote Office Print Unit

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the average printing costs of the Vote Bundle per printed page were during the 2005-06 financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The average printing costs of the Vote Bundle per originated printed page during financial year 2005-06 were £69.52. This represents a 6 per cent. reduction from the costs for financial year 2004-05, which were supplied to the hon. Member in the written answer I gave him on 12 July 2005,  Official Report, column 859W.

Government Bills

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister what criteria are used by him in selecting Government bills that he will not co-sponsor; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 July 2005,  Official Report, column 643W.

Ministerial Residences

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister to which Ministers the official residences in his gift are allocated; to which Ministers they were allocated in January 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Members for Kernel Hempstead (Mike Penning) and Meriden (Caroline Spelman) on 2 December 2005,  Official Report, column 816W and the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) on 16 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2394W.

Security Staff

Ian Gibson: To ask the Prime Minister which Government Department or Agency employs security staff who protect Ministers; how many are employed; what the cost was in 2005-06; and what criteria are used to decide  (a) which hon. Members are given protection and  (b) for how long protection is provided after the individual leaves office.

Tony Blair: It has been the practice of successive governments not to comment on security matters.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the operation of the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate Act 2000; and what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act.

Mike O'Brien: None. The Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate Act 2000 came into effect on 1 October 2000 and established the remit for HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate which is an independent statutory body reporting to the Attorney General. The legislation has operated satisfactorily. However, the Police and Justice Bill presently being considered by Parliament transfers the functions of the Inspectorate to a Justice, Community Safety and Custody Inspectorate in line with Government policy for rationalising inspection arrangement of public services.

Iraq

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence If he will make a statement on the security situation in Iraq.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicestershire, (David Taylor) and the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire, (Andrew Selous).

Iraq

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British soldiers injured in Iraq since March 2003 have sustained a  (a) severe,  (b) moderate and  (c) mild traumatic brain injury as a result of (i) being wounded in action and (ii) a vehicle or other accident.

Des Browne: The best centrally available records do not allow us to specify types of injury, such as head injury, for UK personnel who have served on Operation TELIC. Nor do they separately identify the number of UK personnel injured in vehicle related or other accidents. However, information on those wounded in Iraq can be obtained on the MOD website at www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsInIraqBritishCasualties.htm.

Veterans' Day

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to encourage the marking of Veterans' Day in West Yorkshire.

Tom Watson: We are keen to encourage communities throughout the UK to mark the first Veterans' Day on 27 June. The Ministry of Defence has undertaken a comprehensive publicity campaign to promote the day and to highlight the funding available to assist local communities to organise their own events. This has included letters to all hon. Members, to 14,000 schools and to around 3,000 councils and lord lieutenants. We have also placed information on the internet and have worked closely with the main ex service organisations.

Astute Submarine

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what options have been explored to adapt future Astute submarines to fire  (a) Trident D5 and  (b) D5(A) missiles.

Des Browne: I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid) to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) on 19 April 2006,  Official Report, column 674W.

Far East Internees

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in finalising the settlements for Second World War Far East civilian internees.

Tom Watson: Ministry of Defence officials have drafted detailed rules for the new 20-year residence criterion and held initial discussions on these with the Chairman of the Association of British Civilians in the Far East Region. Revised rules reflecting these discussions will be considered by the working group which my predecessor, Don Touhig, announced on 28 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 681-90, at their meeting on the 25 May. We aim to implement the new criterion as soon as possible.

Improvised Explosive Devices

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what  (a) (i) vehicle armour and (ii) infantry protection has been issued and  (b) tactics have been implemented to protect the UK's armed forces against improvised explosive devices;
	(2)  to what extent the armed forces are co-operating with other coalition partners on tactics aimed at countering improvised explosive devices.

Adam Ingram: We are not able to detail our counter-improvised explosive device (IED) measures, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the security of our armed forces. British Forces deployed on operations are equipped with a range of protective procedures and equipment. We co-operate fully with our coalition partners to counter the threat posed by IEDs.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times  (a) Canberra,  (b) Nimrod and  (c) Tornado GR4A aircraft were cannibalised in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2005.

Adam Ingram: The removal of serviceable parts from one aircraft for use on another is a routine and temporary measure to ensure that the maximum number of aircraft (which are safe, reliable and capable of performing their designated tasks) are available to the front line.
	The number of these instances over the last three years for the aircraft specified is given in the following table.
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			 Canberra(1) 92 63 23 
			 Nimrod(2) (3)464 376 309 
			 Tornado GR4A (4)281 298 207 
			 (1 )Figures include PR9 and T4.  (2 )Figures include Nimrod R1 and Nimrod MR2.  (3) Estimated for Nimrod Rl.  (4) Records for 2003 are incomplete (reporting anomalies).

Non-Proliferation Treaty

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps the Government have taken to implement its disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Des Browne: The UK is fully committed to its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including those on disarmament under Article VI, and has made significant disarmament steps since 1992. For example, the UK has given up both the nuclear Lance missile and artillery roles we undertook previously with US nuclear weapons held under dual-key arrangements, along with our maritime tactical nuclear capability, so that Royal Navy surface ships no longer have any capability to carry or deploy nuclear weapons. In 1998, the UK withdrew and dismantled the last air-launched nuclear weapon, the Royal Air Force's WE117 nuclear bombs. The dismantlement of the last remaining Chevaline (Polaris) warheads occurred in April 2002, so that Trident is now our only nuclear weapons system;
	In all, there has been a reduction of the UK's operationally available stockpile of nuclear weapons to fewer than 200 warheads, representing a reduction of more than 70 per cent. in the potential explosive power of our nuclear forces since the end of the cold war. Only one Trident submarine is on deterrent patrol at any one time and that submarine is normally on several days 'notice to fire' and its missiles are not targeted at any specific country.
	In addition, the UK announced in 1995 that we had stopped the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and we continually press for negotiations to begin on a fissile material cut-off treaty at the conference on disarmament in Geneva. We have also been more transparent about our nuclear and fissile material stockpiles, publishing an historical account of plutonium stockpiles, along with an account of our highly enriched uranium earlier this year.
	We are the only nuclear power that has so far been prepared to take such important steps on the route to nuclear disarmament.

Non-Proliferation Treaty

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the United States and  (b) other states on fulfilling disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Des Browne: The UK holds regular discussions with the US and other states on a wide range of security and international issues including the fulfilment of obligations under all articles of the NPT. The fulfilment of obligations under Article VI has most recently been discussed in a multilateral format at the United Nations Disarmament Commission in New York, last held between 10-28 April 2006, and at the standing Conference on Disarmament in Geneva earlier this year.

Nuclear Weapons

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the  (a) present and  (b) future role of Trident, with particular reference to the potential development of a low yield warhead.

Des Browne: The Government's policy on nuclear weapons remains as set out in the 1998 strategic defence review (SDR) (Cm 3999) and the 2002 SDR New Chapter (Cm 5566). The UK's nuclear weapons have a continuing use as a means of deterring major strategic military threats and they have a continuing role in guaranteeing the ultimate security of the UK. We would only ever contemplate their use in extreme circumstances of self-defence.
	The Atomic Weapons Establishment is not engaged in the development of any new warheads.

Redress of Grievance Cases

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many redress of grievance cases in respect of  (a) officers,  (b) non-commissioned officers and  (c) other ranks in each of the armed forces are outstanding after more than eight weeks.

Tom Watson: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Army  RAF  RN 
			 Officers 73 32 11 
			 NCOs 33 21 (1)14 
			 Other ranks/ratings 121 8 (1) 
			 (1 )The RN figures do not differentiate between non-officer categories. 
		
	
	The figures show those cases under consideration now at second or third level where the complaint was originally made more than eight weeks ago. Records are not kept centrally of complaints under consideration at first (commanding officer) level.

War Widows' Pensions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many war widows' pensions have been awarded to widows of British nuclear test veterans since 2000.

Tom Watson: The Veterans Agency is aware of a small number (fewer than five) of specific cases where war widows pensions have been awarded to widows of British Nuclear Test Veterans since 2000 (though not necessarily because of their participation in the tests), but does not hold definitive data. It is possible that other such cases exist, but it would not be possible to produce a definitive figure without incurring disproportionate cost.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence hehow many UK forces are trained to render weapons of mass destruction safe and secure.

Adam Ingram: There are currently 463 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Operators qualified and in-role for all three services who are trained and authorised to deal with biological and chemical ordnance natures.
	Of these in-role EOD operators, a limited number have been specifically trained to deal with biological, chemical and non-fissile radiological devices in a counter-terrorist context. Precise numbers are not disclosed as this would prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our forces.

Private Office Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been paid in  (a) salary,  (b) travelling expenses,  (c) subsistence allowance and  (d) removal expenses to special advisers in his private office in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: Since 2003, the Government have published, on an annual basis, the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each pay band. For information relating to the last financial year, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 158-61WS. Information on special advisers for this financial year is currently being collected and will be published in the normal way when it is ready.
	No expenditure on removal expenses has been incurred; the costs of travel and subsistence were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Travel  Subsistence 
			 2001-02 24,818 10,648 
			 2002-03 25,787 12,694 
			 2003-04 8,583 8,258 
			 2004-05 12,318 4,738 
			 2005-06 11,419 6,078

Coeliac Disease

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been diagnosed with coeliac disease.

Paul Goggins: The number of people diagnosed with coeliacdisease in Northern Ireland is notavailable.
	Informationis available on the number of those suffering with coeliac diseaseadmitted as inpatients to hospitals in NorthernIreland.
	During2004-05 (the latest year for which information is available), therewere a total of 532 admissions to hospitals in Northern Ireland, forpatients with coeliacdisease.
	It should benoted that any individual could have been admitted to hospital morethan once over the course of a year and would therefore be counted morethan once in thefigures.
	 Source: HospitalInpatients System DHSS andPS

DepartmentalPublications

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary ofState for Northern Ireland how many  (a) press notices and (b) consultation documents were issued by his Department duringthe summer recess.

Peter Hain: I apologise for the delay in responding to thisquestion, this was due to an administrative error. During the summerrecess, 28 July to 10 October 2005 inclusive, the NIO issued thefollowing:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Pressnotices 44 
			 Consultationdocument 1

Prisons

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland what advice was given to the governor of HMPMagherberry about the advisability of granting compassionate parole toJames Joseph McEvoy.

Paul Goggins: Decisions on granting compassionate temporaryrelease are matters for Prison Service headquarters acting on the basisof information from the establishment. Mr. McEvoy was returned tocustody on 15 May. Following this incident a review of the proceduresis in hand.

Police Serviceof NorthernIreland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland 
	(1)  what resources are available to the Head of HumanResources of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to enable him to answer correspondence from hon.Members;
	(2) what the average time taken was by the Police Service of NorthernIreland's Head of Human Resources to reply to correspondence in each ofthe past 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: This parliamentary question falls under thedirect operational responsibility of the Chief Constable, rather thanGovernment policy, and I have therefore asked the Chief Constable torespond directly toyou.

Police Serviceof NorthernIreland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary ofState for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2006, Official Report, column 507W, on police; how many police traineeconstables were recruited in financial year 2004-05.

Paul Goggins: I am advised that 531 police trainee constablesout of a total of 11,801 applicants were recruited in financial year2004-05.

PublicConsultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland how many public consultations  (a) each NorthernIreland Department and  (b) the Northern Ireland Office undertookin the last 12 months; and what the cost was (i) in total and (ii) ofeach consultation.

David Hanson: Details of the number of public consultationsundertaken by the Northern Ireland Office and the 11 Northern IrelandDepartments between April 2005 and March 2006 and associated costs havebeen placed in the Library of theHouse.
	Costs includefigures for each consultation and a total for each Department. Allcosts indicated are external and do not include, for example, internalcosts such as staff time. The costs reflect the scale of eachconsultation and the methods used to carry out the consultation whetherin writing or electronicform.

Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland what estimate he has made of an average  (a)domestic rates and  (b) water rates bill in Northern Ireland fromApril 2007.

David Hanson: The Secretary of State determines the level of theregional rate in NI. The average domestic regional rate bill in 2007-08is expected to be around £395. In addition to this, districtcouncils each strike a district domestic rate independently fromcentral Government. Based on current trends, the average districtdomestic rate next year will be£313.
	On 8December 2005, my hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretaryof State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Woodward) announced the introductionof domestic water and sewerage charges in Northern Ireland. Bills willbe set in line with average domestic bills in England and Wales.Charges will be phased in over a three-year period which means that the average domestic water andsewerage bill in April 2007 will be just over£100.
	My hon.Friend also announced the introduction of an affordability tariff whichwill ensure that eligible low-income households spend no more than 3per cent. of their income on water and sewerage charges. No-one on thetariff will pay more than £60 in 2007-08 regardless of the valueof the property in which they live. Up to 200,000 households inNorthern Ireland will benefit from thetariff.

Review of PublicAdministration

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary ofState for Northern Ireland whether local councils in Northern Irelandwill be prevented from utilising cash reserves in the run-up to theimplementation of the findings of the Review of Public Administration.

David Cairns: Councils may earmark reserves for specificstatutory or policy purposes or for contingencies and it is for them todecide how they utilise these funds. Nevertheless, the Local GovernmentTaskforce Finance Sub-Group is currently considering all aspects oflocal government finance and any recommendations made by this groupwill ultimately be a matter forMinisters.

RoadFatalities

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland when the Department of Environment will set out thenew measures to be taken to reduce fatalities on the roads.

David Cairns: Several new measures are currently beingprogressed to reduce fatalities on theroads.
	New primaryroad traffic legislation, on which the Department of the Environment(DOE) consulted from October 2005 to January 2006, will be introducedin due course.
	TheDepartment will be making an announcement later in the year on thecompulsory wearing of seat belts/restraints on buses, coaches, cars andgoods vehicles. A new TV publicity campaign to highlight the dangers ofnot wearing seat belts is planned for September.
	The Department is currentlypreparing a new Highway Code which will be published in March2007.

Road SafetyAuthority

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland if he will establish a Road Safety Authority inNorthern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy2002-2012 provides an integrated approach to the planning,co-ordination and delivery of Government's road safety activities andit requires the three main statutory bodies with responsibility for road safety inNorthern Ireland (the Department of the Environment, the Department forRegional Development's Roads Service and the Police Service of NorthernIreland) to work together closely inpartnership.
	A RoadSafety Steering Group, comprising senior management from each of thethree partners, is responsible for coordinating delivery of thestrategy and ensuring cohesive and complementary education, enforcementand engineering road safetyactivities.
	Thesepartnership arrangements are working well and are making a significantcontribution to casualty reductions and there are no plans at this timeto change thisapproach.

Small Change BigDifference

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland what steps his Department and its agencies have takenfollowing the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Differencecampaign.

Paul Goggins: Discussions have been held between officials inthe Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety in NorthernIreland and officials within the Department of Health in England, inrelation to the extent to which social marketing campaigns beingdeveloped by the Department of Health, including the Small Change BigDifference campaign, could be applied to NorthernIreland.
	A number ofpublic information campaigns have been developed by the HealthPromotion Agency for Northern Ireland to promote healthier lifestyles,as part of Northern Ireland's public health strategy, Investing forHealth. In March 2006, the Health Promotion Agency launched,"Every Step is a Forward Step", to promote the healthbenefits of physical activity and to encourage members of the public toundertake regular, moderate physicalactivity.

TrafficWardens

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary ofState for Northern Ireland how many traffic wardens in Northern Irelandwere assaulted in the course of their duties in each year between 2000and 2005.

Shaun Woodward: To obtain this information would require amanual trawl of assault cases at disproportionatecost.

WasteTransfers

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary ofState for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the amount of wastefrom the Irish Republic being transferred to Northern Ireland in eachof the last three years.

David Cairns: Waste can be transferred into Northern Irelandunder the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations(1994).
	Between March2005 and February 2006, the total tonnage for waste movements from ROIto NI moved under the regulations and notified to the Department was14,610 tonnes. However, a significant proportion did not remain in NI,but continued on toGB.
	The totalquantities of green listed waste (for example, for paper only)transported under these regulations are unknown, as the movement ofsuch waste does not have to benotified.
	TheDepartment's Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has detectedsome examples of sham recovery, where companies claim to be recyclingthe waste they input, when in fact they send it to landfill. EHS isinvestigating these cases and its Environmental Crime Team will beincreasingly focusing on thisarea.
	Estimatessuggest that up to 250,000 tonnes of household waste from the Republicof Ireland (ROI) were illegally deposited on land within NorthernIreland (NI) between October 2002 and the end of2004.
	To date, 57illegal landfill sites have been discovered in NI containing ROI waste.It is not possible to determine how much waste was deposited in a givenyear as in many cases the waste is decayed to the point of beinguntraceable.

LocalElectionReports

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport,representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whatthe Electoral Commission's timetable is for publishing its reports onthe local elections held on 4 May 2006.

Peter Viggers: There is no statutory requirement for theElectoral Commission to report on the administration of the recentlocal government elections other than in respect of its evaluations ofthe 15 different electoral pilot schemes that took place in 21 Englishlocal authority area elections on 4 May 2006. The Commission hasinformed me that those reports will be available by the statutorydeadline of 4 August2006.
	The Commissioninforms me that it has also scheduled a series of review activities inrelation to the conduct of the local government elections held inEngland on 4 May 2006, in exercise of its power under section 6 of thePolitical Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 to keep matters relating to local governmentelections under review. It intends to publish its conclusions in thesummer.

PressReleases

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport,representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission 
	(1) what steps the Speaker's Committee has taken to satisfy itself that theElectoral Commission's press release of 16 May 2006 on mock electionsrepresents an efficient and effective use of its resources;
	(2) what guidance the Commission has given to its press office on ensuringimpartiality in its press releases;
	(3) what discussions the Commission had with political parties prior toissuing its press release of 16 May 2006 on mock elections;
	(4) what discussions the Commission had with political parties on thesupporting materials and manifesto guides to the political partiesproduced for its mock election 2006 campaign prior to the distributionof these materials to schools.

Peter Viggers: The statutory duties of the Speaker'sCommittee do not require it to satisfy itself that any specific actionof the Electoral Commission represents an efficient and effective useof its resources. It is not therefore its practice to doso.
	I have asked theElectoral Commission to write to my hon. Friend, and to place a copy ofits letter in the Library of theHouse.

Voter RegistrationCampaigns

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport,representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission howmuch the Electoral Commission spent in  (a) 2005 and  (b)2006 on campaigns to increase voter registration, including grants tolocal authorities.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it spentapproximately £2.05 million in Great Britain and NorthernIreland in 2005 on campaigns to increase voter registration and, todate, in 2006 has spent approximately £1.88 million on campaignsin Great Britain. The Commission makes its campaign materials availableto local authorities at nocost.
	[Continuedin Column1343W]

Freedom of Information

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Freedom of Information requests her Department has received since 1 January 2006.

Hilary Armstrong: The number of Freedom of Information requests received by Cabinet Office between 1 January-31 March 2006 will be published by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in its quarterly monitoring bulletin. For 2005, the Cabinet Office received a total of 1,337 requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Freedom of Information

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Freedom of Information requests her Department has not answered within the 20-day deadline since 1 January 2006.

Hilary Armstrong: The number of Freedom of Information requests answered within the 20-day deadline by the Cabinet Office between 1 January-31 March 2006 will be published by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in its quarterly monitoring bulletin. Departments are allowed to extend the deadline to consider the public interest and it is appropriate that they take the time necessary to reach the correct decision. That is to protect information that is legitimately exempt and to release information where the balance of public interest lies in its disclosure.

Planning Applications

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many planning applications have been submitted by the Duchy in each of the last fiveyears; how many planning applications are under consideration; and when each current application was submitted.

Hilary Armstrong: The Duchy of Lancaster currently has 10 planning applications awaiting decisions, three submitted in January, one in February, four submitted in March, one in April and one in May 2006.
	To provide full analysis of the applications submitted over the last five years would not be possible without incurring disproportionate cost.

Small Change Big Difference Campaign

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps her Department has taken following the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Difference Campaign.

Hilary Armstrong: Cabinet Office have a number of initiatives that encourage their employees to make changes advocated by the Small Change Big Difference Campaign examples of which include:
	Wellbeing Fitness Centre—available for all Cabinet Office employees to use to increase their levels of physical activity. The centre offers a number of additional services such as lifestyle consultation and nutritional advice.
	The staff canteen offers a variety of menu choices, healthy options are clearly indicated and are cooked with no added oils with all vegetables steamed. Additionally a new light and healthy option is now available each day.
	The option of working flexibly so that employees can effectively manage their work with outside commitments and remote access service that allows employees to work from home.
	Cabinet Office have recently launched two Well-Being pilots. These have taken a holistic approach focusing on improving organisational effectiveness and employee well-being.

Adult Education

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) men and  (b) women are attending an adult community education course in each parliamentary constituency in Derbyshire;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the likely impact of Derbyshire Learning and Skills Council's proposed funding allocation for the Adult Community Education Service in 2006-07 on the provision of services; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many adult community education learning  (a) courses and  (b) venues have been in operation in Derbyshire in each year since 1997; and how many she estimates will be in operation in (i) 2006-07 and(ii) 2007-08 in each case;
	(4)  how much funding Derbyshire's Adult Community Education service has received in each year since 1997; and what the allocation is for (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Bill Rammell: On the 21 October 2005, I made an announcement, setting out the Government's strategic direction for the learning and skills sector for 2006/07 and 2007/08. The main purpose for doing so was to ensure the 2006/07 funding allocations process began with a clear and concise message on the principles that will underpin funding over the next two years. In addition, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) published 'Priorities for Success'—a document that sets out the funding strategy for the next two years in more detail. This document is available on the LSC's website. These clear messages develop priorities further outlined in my Department's Grant letters to the LSC for 2004-05 and 2005-06 and in the White Paper 'Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' published on 27 March 2006.
	Although more public funding will be going into the sector, we will focus funding even more strongly on key priorities of raising participation and achievement 14-19 and driving down the skills deficit in the adult workforce.
	I reaffirmed our commitment to safeguard the funding for Personal and Community Development Learning in mainstream Further Education and Local Authority funding adult education (Adult and Community Learning) with a budget of £210 million in 2006/07, including family learning, family literacy, language and numeracy and neighbourhood learning in deprived communities.
	In addition in the White Paper 'Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' we set out our intention to reinvigorate this type of learning to improve its planning, its quality and to gear it more to the needs of local communities.
	The Department allocates funds for the post-16 education and training sector to the' Learning and Skills Council (LSC) working through 47 local offices. As this is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 April 2006:
	Derbyshire Adult Learning Service's Funding Allocation 2006/07
	I am writing in response to the four Parliamentary Questions which you raised recently regarding the funding allocation made to Derbyshire County Council's Adult Learning Service (ALS) for 2006/07.
	Before answering the specific questions in detail, may I first assure you that the formula by which both the Further Education (FE) and the Personal and Community Development Learning (PCDL) budgets for Derbyshire ALS have been allocated has been consistently applied to all FE and ALS providers across the East Midlands region. Colleagues at Derbyshire ALS accept that this is the case. You will also be aware that whilst overall funding is increasing, resources to fund the FE sector are finite and priorities have to be set. In our allocations for 2006/07, we have therefore asked providers to concentrate core funding on four key priorities that make the biggest impact towards delivering the Government's Skills Strategy.
	These are:
	Education and training for 16 to 18 year olds;
	Young people taking Apprenticeships;
	People who need to improve their basic skills of literacy and numeracy;
	People undertaking their first level 2 qualification.
	Learning and Skills Council National Office
	
		
			  August to July 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 ACL total excl buildings — — — 1,084,112 3,301,631 3,789,693 4,059,972 4,161,091 4,140,718 
			 FE allocation 1,148,404 1,478,379 1,544,154 2,185,041 2,867,515 3,250,703 3,765,000 4,700,000 4,100,000 
			 NDTC — — — — — 546,211 884,500 — — 
			 Total 1,148,404 1,478,379 1,544,154 3,269,153 6,169,146 7,586,607 8,709,472 8,861,091 8,240,718 
		
	
	The Personal & Community Development Learning (PCDL), including Family Learning and Family Literacy & Numeracy funding allocation for 2005/06 is £4.140 million (this comprises Adult & Community Learning, Family Learning and Family Literacy & Numeracy). The PCDL indicative allocation for 2006-07 is £3.758 million. Whilst the PCDL budget for 06/07 has been safeguarded nationally at 05/06 rates (£210 million) this obviously does not mean that each individual provider will receive the same allocation as in 05/06, particularly since £33 million of this £210 million is within FE colleges and not in Adult Learning Services.
	Derbyshire Adult Learning Service also receives FE funding. In 2005/06 the FE funding allocation is £4.1 million, including £230,000 for Additional Learner Support. The Indicative allocation for 2006/07 is £3.516 million, including £236,000 for Additional Learner Support. In addition, the LSC will be allocating £582,000 growth funding for adult delivery within FE across Derbyshire and the Derbyshire Adult Learning Service, alongside the other deliverers of adult learning across the county, are able to bid for these funds.
	In addition to these figures, the LSC is currently discussing with Derbyshire Adult Learning Service the possibility of additional transitionary funding for 2006/07 in order to help manage the impact of the reduced allocations. Furthermore, the LSC has also agreed to support the investment of £405,000 to create a new Adult & Community Education Centre in Bolsover in partnership with the Derbyshire Adult Learning Service, which is contributing £255,000. In the last four years the LSC has also invested over £4 million in capital improvements in the learning infrastructure for Derbyshire Adult Learning Service, including money to adapt community premises so that they are more accessible for disabled learners.
	As outlined above, it is too early to say how many courses and venues will form part of the offer from September 2006 for the 2006/07 academic year - the LSC is currently in dialogue with Derbyshire Adult Learning Service around funding allocations and the proposed mix and location of the adult learning offer for 2006-07.
	The following table shows the number of adult community education courses and venues from 1997 to 2005/06. The number of outreach centres increased significantly in 2003/04 owing to the development of several family learning centres, including those within school premises. However the reduction of external funding such as Single Regeneration and ESF budgets in 2004/05 saw a reduction in some outreach work that year.
	
		
			  Venue Type  1997/98  1998/99  1999/2000  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			 Main Centre 15 16 16 16 16 21 19 22 23 
			 Outreach venue 101 102 105 111 131 118 215 171 181 
			  116 118 121 127 147 139 234 193 204 
		
	
	
		
			  Courses  1999/98  1998/99  1999-2000  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			 Voc Courses 910 945 1,033 1,261 1,686 2,246 2,491 2,516 (1)2,642 
			 Non VOC 1,690 1,755 1,836 1,949 2,130 1,991 1,958 2,133 (1)2,100 
			  2,600 2,700 2,869 3,210 3,816 4,237 4,449 4,649 4,742 
			 (1) Estimated end of year figures 
		
	
	In terms of 2006-07 and 2007-08, it is too early to say how many courses and venues will form part of the offer from September 2006; the LSC is currently in dialogue with Derbyshire Adult Learning Service around funding allocations and the proposed mix and location of the adult learning offer from September 2006. Although indicative funding allocations have been outlined to the Derbyshire Adult Learning Service, the published timescale for confirmation of final allocations is by the end of May 2006.
	The funding allocations for the Derbyshire Adult Learning Service since 1997 are detailed below. Prior to 2000, Adult & Community Learning allocations to the ALS were determined by the Local Education Authority and we have no details of these. The NDTC allocation relates to provision transferred to the Adult Learning Service when North Derbyshire Tertiary College was closed.
	Areas of education and training outside these priority areas - such as part-time courses for adults that do not lead to basic skills or first level 2 qualifications - will inevitably feel the funding pressure.
	This dialogue will consider very carefully the impact of the reduced allocations on service delivery and will be reviewing what transitionary funding may be available to alleviate the same. As part of this review, the LSC will also consider the progress made byerbyshire Adult Learning Service in its ongoing efforts to review the relevance, appropriateness and fit with key government targets of its overall adult offer. This is in he context of significant increases in funding for adult learning across Derbyshire during the 2006-07 period.
	There will also be fee income opportunities which Derbyshire Adult Learning Service will want to pursue to reflect the appropriate balance of contributions between the individual and the state for some of this provision - such as part-time courses for adults that do not lead to basic skills or first level 2 qualifications - and in the light of the increasing fee assumption that will apply for 2006/07
	Unfortunately we do not hold information on the number of men and women attending adult courses broken down by parliamentary constituencies within Derbyshire. However, the number of learners accessing adult community education across the whole of Derbyshire in 2004/05 totalled 11,955, comprising 9,577 female learners and 2,378 male.
	Clearly this is only part of the overall picture, with a further 87,247 adult learners funded via FE across Derbyshire, an additional 4,673 through work-based learning programmes, 6,584 through the Employer Training Pilot and a further 20,303 engaged on ESF-funded projects.
	Naturally I am concerned about the impact of the 2006/07 allocation on Derbyshire's Adult Learning Service, and as I mentioned we will be looking to help ameliorate the effects via the provision of transitionary funding. Verity Bullough, the LSC's Regional Director for the East Midlands and Peter Brammall, Executive Director for Derbyshire, are meeting with colleagues from the ALS to discuss this issue more fully.
	I trust that this answers the questions you raised in Parliament but if you require any further detail or explanation please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Adult Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by what percentage the budget for adult further education changed in each of the local Learning and Skills Council areas between the start of the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 March 2006
	Our strategic priorities for adult learning outlined in Priorities for Success are to: support adults who lack basic skills or the platform of skills for employability; ensure a wide range of opportunities at Level 3; and, ensure the continued availability of a wide range of opportunities for personal and community development. Our investment in adult learning will remain broadly stable and focused on these key priorities.
	The funding allocated by my Department for the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) major education and training programmes for adults for 2005-06 is £2,851 million, an increase of £183million or 7 per cent. on the comparable figure for 2004-05. My Department does not hold details of funding at local level. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive has written to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 May 2006:
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the budget for adult further education.
	As requested please find attached data showing the movement between the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06 for further education adult learning, broken down by local LSC area. I have also included data which shows the movement in funding for both youth learning and additional learning support, some of which will apply to adult learning.
	These three elements comprise the totality of further education funding allocations which are made to further education colleges and other further education providers. These figures do not however include funding paid to these providers under other programmes which benefit adult learners, for example adult and community learning, and employer training pilots/train to gain.
	Each provider's funding allocation will have been determined individually in discussion with the provider concerned, taking account of the provider's performance data and the LSC's national, regional and local priorities. The differing levels of movement in funding allocations will be due to a number of factors, including:
	Demographic changes creating greater demand for youth learning in the locality;
	Providers' prior performance, in terms of delivering both numbers of learners and the quality of the learning;
	Historic levels of adult learning and youth participation; and
	The type of learning being delivered, for example, whether it contributes towards Government priorities or supports learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
	Although funding for adult learning has decreased within further education, within the reduced total significantly more funding is now concentrated on priority adult learning. Further education providers should also now receive more funding from the collection of increased fees and from other funding streams, notably train to gain, subject to their ability to provide training which meets the needs of employers. In 2006-07 alone this new adult learning programme has a budget of 230 million.
	I trust this information is helpful.
	
		
			  Percentage Cash Movement 
			  Local Council  16-18  19+  ALS  Total 
			 Norfolk Total 18.2 -10.9 -4.4 6.7 
			 Cambridgeshire Total 12.8 -11.4 3.8 4.2 
			 Suffolk Total 17.1 -12.5 6.1 4.3 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton Total 13.8 -8.9 -15.3 2.1 
			 Hertfordshire 13.2 -9.7 -2.7 3.2 
			 Essex Total 14.5 -13.1 12.1 6.8 
			 Derbyshire Total 12.4 -4.2 4.1 4.0 
			 Nottinghamshire Total 11.9 -6.1 2.3 2.5 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland Total 16.9 -12.0 9.1 5.4 
			 Leicestershire Total 7.9 -2.9 10.9 3.2 
			 Northamptonshire Total 9.2 -4.7 -4.0 3.1 
			 London North Total 8.1 2.4 1.4 5.0 
			 London West Total 9.4 3.6 4.1 6.2 
			 London Central Total 12.8 0.3 3.1 4.6 
			 London East Total 11.2 0.1 -1.3 4.6 
			 London South Total 3.8 0.3 12.6 3.1 
			 Northumberland Total -7.7 -20.3 -4.6 -14.8 
			 Tyne and Wear Total 9.0 -6.6 3.0 1.0 
			 County Durham Total 11.6 -6.2 8.0 2.8 
			 Tees Valley Total 8.5 -3.1 2.8 4.6 
			 Cumbria Total 6.4 -6.9 6.9 0.9 
			 Lancashire Total 9.1 -4.7 2.1 3.8 
			 Greater Merseyslde Total 8.0 -1.0 8.3 4.3 
			 Greater Manchester Total 8.7 -4.4 6.2 4.2 
			 Cheshire and Warrlngton Total 12.2 -6.6 0.7 4.7 
			 Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Total 10.1 -2.0 5.6 4.3 
			 Berkshire Total 10.3 0.2 3.9 5.1 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Total 9.3 2.0 2.3 7.0 
			 Surrey Total 6.5 -7.2 28.1 3.7 
			 Sussex Total 11.2 -0.9 5.9 6.9 
			 Kent and Medway Total 12.0 -4.4 4.4 5.2 
			 Devon and Cornwall Total 9.5 -5.4 -0.7 2.8 
			 Somerset Total 12.4 -11.0 -2.1 3.5 
			 Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Total 5.7 -2.2 10.8 2.6 
			 West of England Total 9.2 1.7 4.1 5.4 
			 Wiltshire and Swindon Total 8.1 -7.2 3.7 2.5 
			 Gloucestershire Total 11.4 -10.3 15.9 4.5 
			 Shropshire Total 9.2 3.7 5.0 6.9 
			 Staffordshire Total 16.9 -6.2 -0.8 5.6 
			 Black Country Total 11.3 3.3 1.6 7.1 
			 Birmingham and Solihull Total 8.4 6.2 7.0 7.2 
			 Herefordshire and Worcestershire Total 12.0 1.4 7.7 7.7 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire Total 10.8 -0.2 1.5 5.0 
			 North Yorkshire Total 14.0 -13.1 12.2 3.9 
			 West Yorkshire Total 11.0 -1.2 -2.7 4.7 
			 South Yorkshire Total 13.1 -1.9 -1.3 5.7 
			 Humberside Total 10.2 -5.9 5.9 4.3 
			 Grand Total 10.4 -2.6 3.8 4.6 
			  Note: ALS = Additional Learner Support.

Adult Education

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many different adult education courses were offered in Bath in each year since 1997; how many adults in Bath registered for an adult education course in each year; and how much was spent by the Government on adult education provision in Bath in each year;
	(2)  if he will take steps to replace the adult education courses available to Bath residents which have been lost as a result of his Department's re-allocation of funding priorities towards 16 to 19-year-olds.

Phil Hope: Our White Paper 'Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' sets out a comprehensive programme of change that will transform our FE system and achieve its potential as a powerhouse of economic prosperity and social mobility. Its central purpose is to equip both young people and adults with the skills for productive and rewarding employment in a modern economy. In England we will continue to spend between £2.8 billion and £2.9 billion a year of taxpayers' money on support for adult learning. The broad volumes of publicly funded education and training will be maintained; however the balance will shift. We believe that it is right to focus help more on those who need it most, thatis, those without the basic skills or a full level 2 qualification needed if individuals are to become effective and fulfilled members of the work force, their families and local communities.
	This does mean that those outside our priority areas may have to pay more for their courses. It does not mean that courses which are valued by learners and providers should close because public funding is reduced. The experience of many colleges, for example the City college, Brighton and Hove, is that it is possible to increase fees and the number of enrolments at the same time as providing safeguards for those adults on benefits. I would look to providers in other areas, including Bath, to follow these examples.
	In the White Paper 'Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' we reaffirmed our commitment to safeguard funding for Personal and Community Development Learning with a budget of £210 million in 2006/07, including family learning, family literacy, language and numeracy and neighbourhood learning in deprived communities. In addition we set out our intention to reinvigorate this type of learning to improve its planning, its quality and to gear it more to the needs of local communities.
	As to the specific questions of funding in each area, the Department allocates funds for the post-16 education and training sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) working through 47 local offices. As this is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library
	 Letter from Mark Haysom:
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding adult Education.
	Firstly, I provide a breakdown of the information you requested on adult education courses in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) and the reallocation of funding priorities towards 16 to 19 year olds.
	 Personal and Community Development Learning (PCDL) allocations in B&NES 2005/06 and 2006/07
	Adult and Community Learning (ACL) funding to B&NES for 2005/6 was £378,715. This can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 Funding for family learning activities (FLLN and WFL) 109,766 
			 Funding for neighbourhood learning in deprived communities (NLDC) 28,802 
			 Main ACL funding covering personal and community development learning and first steps (learning intended to engage the individual and progress them towards level 2). 240,147 
		
	
	In 2006/07 the decision has been taken nationally to protect FLLN&WFL and NLDC activities by supporting them at 100% of the cash value for 2005/06 and to reduce the total budget available to PCDL and first steps' to approximately 90% of its 2005/06 cash value.
	This approach has been applied to all providers receiving these funding streams throughout the South West region. It delivers the safeguards on these learning activities laid out in "Priorities for Success" (page 14, paragraph 50) and fully consumes the regional budget for these activities.
	Total funding for B&NES in 2006/07 is currently set at £354,897 - please note that this figure is indicative at this stage.
	Broken down into:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 Funding for family learning (FLLN and WFL) 109,766 
			 Funding for neighbourhood learning in deprived communities (NLDC) 28,802 
			 PCDL and first steps 216,329 
		
	
	For comparison the four Unitary Authorities within the West of England LSC area received the following:
	
		
			   Total allocation (£)  
			  Unitary authority  2005/06  2006/07  2006/07 percentage of 2005/06 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 378,715 354,897 93.7 
			 Bristol 104,5534 979,779 93.7 
			 North Somerset 378,715 354,897 93.7 
			 South Gloucestershire 520,441 487,710 93.7 
		
	
	 Further Education (FE) Allocations in BaNES
	FE funding information is shown for BaNES and then separately identified for City of Bath College and Norton Radstock College.
	We have provided the funding levels for the adult budget for 2004/5, 2005/6 and 2006/07 but please note that 2006/07 is indicative at this stage.
	
		
			   19+ allocation  
			   2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 19+ indicative allocation 
			 B and NES 6,084,717 6,799,830 6,289,303 
			 Bath 3,900,993 4,418,220 4,108,375 
			 Norton Radstock 2,183,724 2,381,610 2,180,928 
		
	
	The main reasons for the decrease in 2006/07 are as follows:
	a) Impact of "Priorities for Success" in that the LSC is no longer funding certain adult courses e.g. courses under nine hours and employer mandatory qualifications.
	b) The amount of funding is decided upon a number of factors including historical levels of funding, the potential for providing priority provision i.e. Skills for Life and full level 2 qualifications, provider performance and of course affordability.
	c) The amounts of funding do vary by Unitary Authority, but this is to be expected as factors outlined in paragraph b) above, also vary.
	Secondly, you asked about the activity and funding allocated to adult education in Bath in each year since 1997.
	Prior to the establishment of the LSC in 2001 funding for further education in England was provided by the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC).
	The FEFC allocated funding to a different cohort of providers using a different funding methodology to the LSC and therefore it is not possible for us to provide the information you require for adult education between 1997 and 2001.
	The funding of adult and community learning was passed to the LSC in 2002/03. Prior to that the planning and funding of this activity was subsumed within local authorities. It is therefore also not possible to supply you with the data you request for between 1997 and 2001.
	I attach therefore a breakdown of the information requested for the Bath and North East Somerset area from 2002/03 to 2006/07. The figures show the number of enrolments taken up, the number of distinct learners who accessed learning and the total funds earned. The figures for 2005/06 are an estimate based on current activity and the figures for 2006/07 are still under negotiation.
	 Adult learning in Bath and North East Somerset.
	
		
			  FE funded  2002/03 claimed  2003/04 claimed  2004/05 claimed  2005/06 expected  2006/07 Indicative 
			 Enrolments 18,960 18,452 17,170 16,009 n/a 
			 Learners 12,019 12,729 11,252 10,471 9,845 
			 Funds (£) 5,190,782 6,306,502 6,516,487 6,397,604 6,289,303 
			 n/a = not available. 
		
	
	
		
			  ACL/PCDL funded  2002/03 claimed  2003/04 claimed  2004/05 claimed  2005/06( 1)  expected  2006/07 indicative 
			 Enrolments n/a 2,260 3,036 — n/a 
			 Learners n/a 1,621 1,933 1,051 1,172 
			 Funds (£) 494,356 533,485 579,522 378,715 354,897 
			 n/a = not available. (1) Significant reorganization of ACL took place in this year. An additional £200,000 was granted to B and NES colleges to support costs incurred in this transition which is not shown.

City Academies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the projected capital cost is of each of the City Academies that were announced as being in the pipeline in the press release issued on 16 March.

Jim Knight: 27 Academies are currently open. Of the remaining 73 Academy projects announced as being in the pipeline, 23 have signed funding agreements which include a figure for the capital cash limit. Those figures are:
	
		
			  Academy  Current agreed capital cash limit (£)  Total planned pupil numbers  Capital cash limit per (projected) pupil (£) 
			 Westminster 30,200,082 1,175 25,702 
			 Petchey (Hackney) 34,214,999 1,200 28,512 
			 John Madejski (Reading) 27,656,303 1,100 25,142 
			 Sandwell 27,149,860 1,200 22,625 
			 Paddington 31,175,682 1,175 26,532 
			 North Liverpool City 32,552,363 1,750 18,601 
			 Grace (Solihull) 31,278,736 1,350 23,169 
			 David Young Community (Leeds) 23,700,000 1,170 20,256 
			 Barnsley 25,506,332 1,150 22,179 
			 Thomas Deacon (Peterborough) (1) 46,431,203 2,200 21,105 
			 St. Matthew (Lewisham) 30,856,162 1,345 22,941 
			 Samworth Enterprise (Leicester) 19,501,915 1,046 18,644 
			 Harris Academy at South Norwood 34,491,000 1,300 26,532 
			 The Bridge (Hackney) 34,688,469 1,150 30,164 
			 Oasis (Immingham) 24,999,582 1,150 21,739 
			 Oasis (Wintringham) 23,751,543 1,100 21,592 
			 Oasis (Enfield) 29,295,641 1,150 25,474 
			 Folkestone 36,651,169 1,480 24,764 
			 Bradford 20,471,117 1,150 17,801 
			 Walthamstow 29,950,551 1,150 26,044 
			 Sheffield Park 29,000,000 1,300 22,308 
			 Sheffield Springs 27,300,000 1,300 21,000 
			 Leigh (Dartford) 36,590,284 1,500 24,394 
			 Langley (Slough) 31,000,000 1,150 26,957 
			 Average 29,933,875 1,281 23,370 
			 (1) Thomas Deacon Academy replaces 3 existing schools. 
		
	
	It is not possible to give an estimated capital cost for Academies which are still only in feasibility, as these may change in terms of their size, scope and location. However, the average cost of a completed Academy with 1,300 pupils and a sixth form in a high-cost inner-city area is £25-30 million. The average cost of a new secondary school of this size and location is similarly £25-30 million. For example, the average cost per pupil of new build voluntary aided schools which the Department is currently funding is £23,886, and the total cost of these new VA schools ranges up to £35,578,800.

Departmental Initiatives

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the departmental initiatives for each year since 2000 which required bids for funding from  (a) voluntary organisations and (b) local authorities together with the total resource allocated to each initiative in each year; how many successful bids there were in each year; what proportion this figure represents of the total bids received; and what assessment she has made of the costs of (i) preparing bids for each initiative and(ii) assessing those bids.

Parmjit Dhanda: The following tables list money allocated to Departmental initiatives between 2000-01 and 2005-06 requiring bids from local authorities and voluntary organisations.
	
		
			  Table 1: Departmental initiatives requiring bids from local authorities (£000) 
			  Name  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Amount spent 2005-06 
			 Independent/State Schools Partnership Scheme 1,203 387 777 778 1,646 1,399 
			 Playing for Success (1) 3,750 — 3,300 — 1,950 7,800 
			 Supported Early Retirement Scheme for Head Teachers (2) — 10,000 — — — — 
			 Primary Language Pathfinder (3) — — — 2,980 1,144 — 
			 Treatment Foster Care (4) — — — — — 2,200 
			 Secure Accommodation Capital (4) — — — — — 4,900 
			 14-19 Pathfinders (5) — — 8,814 5,861 — —- 
			 Total (4) — — — — — 16,299 
			 (1) Bids from local authorities were not taken every year.(2) This was a two year scheme but in the second year it moved from a bidding process to an allocation of funds by formula.(3) This scheme that was only run for two years.(4) Figures for earlier years can only be provided at disproportionate cost because of Machinery of Government changes to Children's Services.(5) The 14-19 Pathfinder Programme ran for the three years from 2002-03 to 2004-05 but bids were only made in the first two years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Departmental initiatives requiring bids from voluntary organisations (£000) ( 1,2) 
			  Name  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Amount spent 2005-06 
			 Safeguarding Children Supporting Families Grant (1,2) — — 4,097 4,138 
			 Consultation Fund (1,2) — — 729 650 
			 National Voluntary Youth Organisation (1,2) 5,972 6,108 6,023 6,857 
			 Strengthening Families Grant (1,2) — — 7,771 13,667 
			 Sure Start VCS Strategic Contracts (1,2,3) 7,263 7,811 8,310 8,000 
			 Total (2) — — 26,930 33,312 
			 (1) Some grants cover a period greater than one year so money allocated to any one year is different from money bid for by voluntary organisations.(2) Figures for earlier years can only be provided at disproportionate cost because of Machinery of Government changes to Children's Services. No figures are available for 2000-01.(3) This scheme has become the Sure Start VCS Grant in 2005-06. 
		
	
	Information on the number of successful bids in proportion to the number of bids received and the costs of assessing and preparing each initiative are not kept centrally within the Department. To gather all the information required would involve disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the staff in his Department is  (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) disabled, broken down by grade.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information is given as follows.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Responsibility level  Male  Female  Declared disabled 
			 AA 54 46 7 
			 AO 32 68 5 
			 EO 35 65 5 
			 HEO 43 57 6 
			 SEO 44 56 3 
			 G7/6 51 49 4 
			 SCS 60 40 2 
			 Total 42 58 5 
		
	
	Departmental records of disabled staff are based solely on the voluntary declaration of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995.

Drug Abuse

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he has taken to reduce drug abuse in schools since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since 1997 the Department has introduced a number of measures to reduce drug abuse in schools. This has included: funding of £70 million for Local Authority School Drug Advisers and improvements in the quality of drug education; training for teachers through the drug, alcohol and tobacco training package and the PSHE certification programme; the National Healthy School programme which includes standards for drug education; and the production of guidance on all matters relating to drugs within schools and materials for classroom teachers. Additionally, in partnership with the Home Office and Department of Health, the Department has supported a major research programme to evaluate the effectiveness of a drug prevention initiative in schools and the FRANK drug awareness campaign.
	The Department is committed to reducing Class A drug use and the frequent use of any illicit drug among the under 25's. Ensuring all young people, including the most vulnerable, have access to credible drug education and information is key to this. The responsibility of schools in relation to educating and supporting young people on drug issues and ensuring schools are drug-free was made clear in "Drugs: Guidance for Schools (2004)".

Learning and Skills Council

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of27 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1259W, on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), how the estimates of redundancy costs arising from the restructuring of the LSC were calculated  (a) when the estimate was given by the LSC in evidence to the Public Accounts Committee in October 2005 and  (b) for the purposes of the figure given in the answer.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 12 May 2006
	Atthe Public Accounts Committee in October 2005Mr. Williams asked about
	'the redundancy costs to the LSC to date.'
	Mark Haysom replied as per the following table.
	
		
			   Statutory redundancy  Reshaping and redundancy  Total 
			 2001-02 3,083,274 — 3,083,274 
			 2002-03 307,646 — 307,646 
			 2003-04 386,408 11,799,561 12,185,969 
			 2004-05 185,995 52,996 238,991 
			 2005-06 105,231 16,007 121,238 
			 Total 4,068,554 11,868,564 15,937,118 
		
	
	Please note that the data only includes redundancy or voluntary severance payments to employees and excludes the cost of early retirement. This data excludes other associated redundancy costs such as outplacement consultants or tribunal costs as well as costs associated with the current re-structuring exercise.
	The LSC's estimated cost of £32 million for redundancy associated with restructuring is based on the maximum numbers of possible redundancies at each band level multiplied by the estimated average redundancy cost. The average redundancy was calculated by taking the greater cost for each individual of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme or four weeks salary for every year of service (actual sample of size of over 3,500 current staff), totalling these for each band and dividing by the number of cases in the sample.

Learning and Skills Council

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many members there are of learning and skills councils; and what political affiliation each has declared.

Bill Rammell: On 31 March 2006 there were 710 members of the Learning and Skills Council: this includes the LSC National Council and its 47 local Councils. Information on political affiliation is not collected, however, 107 (15 per cent.) of these declared a political activity on their application for Council membership.
	Appointments to the LSC are made through fair and open competition, in accordance with guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Members are appointed on the basis of a wide range of appropriate experience, regardless of any declared political activity.

List 99

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her oral statement of 19 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 966-70, on safeguarding children, for what reason each of the 210 people are on List 99; and what type of ban each person is under.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 24 January 2006
	As my predecessor said in her statement of 19 January there are 210 people listed on List 99 as being partially barred. She made clear at the time of her statement that an expert panel would review all cases involving a sexual offence or allegation which resulted in a decision not to include on List 99, or which resulted in a restriction or partial bar. Sir Roger Singleton's panel, the membership of which she announced in her statement of 1 March, will conduct a review of all cases resulting in a partial bar or restriction and will be reporting back in due course.
	Broadly speaking there are three categories of behaviour which cover the 210 individuals on List 99 with restrictions on their employment; 204 are on the list on grounds of misconduct, which may relate to sexual or non sexual impropriety and 6 for health reasons.
	I should add that under previous legislation an individual identified as a risk to a particular age group or gender could have a restriction imposed preventing them from working with that particular group, but not with others outside of that group. However, under current legislation (introduced in October 2000) if an individual is perceived to be a risk to children they are barred on the grounds of unsuitably. Barring them on this ground prevents them from working in the education sector in any capacity and also disqualifies them from working with children in other sectors.

Middlesbrough Academies

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what  (a) revenue and  (b) capital support has been provided to (i) the King's Academy, (ii) the Unity City Academy and (iii) the Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough since their formation.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the capital support for King's, Unity City and Macmillan Academies since their formation until 31 March 2006. Capital covers the costs of construction and any further capital work.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 King's Academy (opened September 2003) 253,213 10,005,471 9,609,051 433,370 — 
			 Unity City Academy (opened September 2002) — 1,876,816 10,800,780 5,764,004 517,698 
			 Macmillan Academy (opened September 2005) — — — 171,969 821,273 
		
	
	The following table shows the revenue costs for the same period. Revenue covers the costs of establishing the Academies and then their day-to-day running costs. Running costs are comparable to other local schools as they are based on the local authority funding formula.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 King's Academy (opened September 2003) — 144,988 650,603 4,817,400 5,447,106 6,752,662 
			 Unity City Academy (opened September 2002) 93,275 508,761 4,378,682 5,525,109 6,196,624 8,044,595 
			 Macmillan Academy (opened September 2005) — — — — 169,263 4,619,188

MOSAIC

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the results of the pilot programme using MOSAIC in local learning and skills councils will be available.

Bill Rammell: A wide range of methodologies, including MOSAIC, are used to help planners and providers develop an accurate profile of their learners. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has been piloting MOSAIC and is evaluating its effectiveness. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive has written to my hon. Friend with more information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 16 May 2006:
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the LSC pilot project on Mosaic.
	 Socio-economic Data
	The LSC has always used socio-economic data, through snapshot reports for each LSC region and local area. These reports, which are at a set point in time limit how the data can be used and currently does not allow a direct interface with out large datasets, such as the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The pilot was initiated by the increased interest of local LSCs, providers and policy makers in the use of postcode analysis as a means of better understanding educational markets. Mosaic software is one such tool that provides this detailed integration and analysis.
	 Mosaic Pilot
	The Mosaic pilot project is being delivered by the Learning and Skills Network (LSN), previously the Learning and skills development Agency (LSDA) on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council. The project is trialling the use of the standard Mosaic UK package in adding value to analysis of learning and skills sector datasets, to help inform strategic planning. The research question being explored in this pilot project is;
	"How can the application of the Mosaic UK postcode classification system assist understanding of patterns of post-16 participation, retention and achievement, so as to assist local LSC planning?"
	The project objectives that have been agreed are set out below:
	To link the time series data from the post-16 education sector with Mosaic UK thereby deriving a breakdown of postcodes according to their patterns of participation, retention and achievement.
	To develop a database that enables the national, regional and local profiles to be updated annually.
	To pilot the use of Mosaic UK analysis with four local and one Regional LSC and consult on the provision of other information to provide more effective support for their respective remits, in particular those aspects relating to widening participation and raising achievement. The piloting exercise will involve support to Regional and local LSC staff from LSDA and Experian (the suppliers of Mosaic UK).
	For one local LSC already familiar with Mosaic UK, there is also an equivalent pilot exercise using Education Mosaic.
	 Potential of Mosaic within the Sector
	The application of Mosaic UK segments to learner databases, along with the development of detailed summary tables at the regional LSC level, should enable more useful intelligence to be available to providers. The potential of this work is especially promising for initiatives aimed at widening participation in a more focused and cost effective manner.
	 Project Outputs
	Detailed tables for each LSC area will be produced, alongwith a database that allows yearly updating with new LSC information. In addition a report will be produced on the impact of the analysis in the pilot LSCs.

Public Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was  (a) in total and  (b) of each consultation.

Parmjit Dhanda: A list of consultations my Department has consulted the public on can be found at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/ Over the year 2005 the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) undertook 36 formal public consultations in orderto inform the department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

School Finance

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the funding per pupil in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools is in each (i) region of England and (ii) local education authority in the north-east region; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Detailed information on 2006-07 is not yet available. In 2005-06 the relevant funding was:
	
		
			   Funding per pupil (£) 
			  Government region  3-10  11-15 
			 North East 3,830 4,770 
			 North West 3,780 4,680 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,750 4,620 
			 East Midlands 3,610 4,430 
			 West Midlands 3,750 4,640 
			 East of England 3,670 4,530 
			 London 4,670 5,770 
			 South East 3,680 4,580 
			 South West 3,550 4,380 
		
	
	
		
			   Funding per pupil (£) 
			  Local authorities in north east region  3-10  11-15 
			 Darlington 3,710 4,600 
			 Durham 3,770 4,640 
			 Gateshead 3,810 4,850 
			 Hartlepool 3,920 4,910 
			 Middlesbrough 4,230 5,720 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 4,010 4,980 
			 North Tyneside 3,620 4,650 
			 Northumberland 3,650 4,540 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 3,860 4,770 
			 South Tyneside 3,970 4,870 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 3,780 4,730 
			 Sunderland 3,820 4,760 
			  Notes: 1. Total 2005-06 Education Revenue Funding per pupil (£'s) aged 3-10 and 11-15, cash terms. Figures include the pensions transfer to EFS. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment/Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements. Figures include the pensions transfer to EFS. 3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3-10 and 11-15 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 4. The pupil numbers used to convert m figures to per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations. 5. Figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10.

School Leavers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils left school without basic  (a) arithmetic and  (b) English language skills in 2005.

Jim Knight: The answer to this question is based on the English and mathematics indicators that were piloted as part of the 2005 Achievement and Attainment tables.
	The following table shows the number of pupils ending Key Stage 4 without the following qualifications in mathematics or English in 2005.
	
		
			  Pupils Percentage(1) 
			 Number of Pupils at the End of Key Stage 4 633,464 — 
			 Number not achieving A* to C in GCSE mathematics 301,671 47.6 
			 Number not achieving A* to C in GCSE English 265,678 41.9 
			 Number not achieving level 2 functional mathematics 300,309 47.4 
			 Number not achieving level 2 functional English 264,333 41.7 
			 Number not achieving A* to G in GCSE mathematics 47,088 7.4 
			 Number not achieving A* to G in GCSE English 45,691 7.2 
			 Number not achieving level 1 functional mathematics 46,286 7.3 
			 Number not achieving level 1 functional English 44,829 7.1 
			 (1) Of the number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. 
		
	
	The trend over the last ten years is of continued improvement in achievement. The 14-19 White Paper placed achieving functional skills in English and mathematics at the heart of the 14-19 phase. We will expect more teenagers to achieve five plus A* to C grade GCSEs including English and maths and will toughen the Achievement and Attainment Tables to encourage this. We will ensure that no-one can get a GCSE grade C or better without mastering the functional elements; where a teenager achieves the functional element only, we will recognise that separately.

School Statistics

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the 20 lowest performing  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools over the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Southend-on-Sea (Schools)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what are the names and addresses of  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools in Southend-on-Sea; what the (i) name of the head teacher and (ii) number of pupils attending is in each case; and on what date each was last inspected by Ofsted.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the information requested for maintained primary and secondary schools in Southend-on-Sea local authority. The pupil numbers are as at January 2006 (provisional).
	The head teacher names are the latest available. It is possible that the Department has not been notified of some head teacher changes.
	
		
			  School name  Street  Town  Postcode  Head teacher  Phase of education  Date of last Ofsted inspection  Total number of children 
			 Chalkwell Hall Junior School London Road Leigh-on-Sea SS9 3NL Mr. Richard Spence Primary 23 January 2006 417 
			 Chalkwell Hall Infant School London Road Leigh-on-Sea SS9 3NL Mrs. Elaine Palmer Primary 12 January 2004 313 
			 Earls Hall Junior School Carlton Avenue Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 0QN Mr. Ashley Eastwood Primary 24 June 2002 355 
			 Earls Hall Infant School Carlton Avenue Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 0QN Mrs. H. Foster Primary 3 December 2001 255 
			 Hamstel Junior School Hamstel Road Southend-on-Sea SS2 4PQ Mr. D. Groom Primary 5 July 2004 475 
			 Hamstel Infant School and Nursery Hamstel Road Southend-on-Sea SS2 4PQ Mrs. V. Tarte Primary 21 September 2005 439 
			 Hinguar Community Primary School Hinguar Street Southend-on-Sea SS3 9AN Mrs. Vivienne Stevens Primary 14 December 2005 262 
			 Leigh North Street Junior School North Street Leigh-on-Sea SS9 1QE Mr. M. Frampton Primary 28 November 2005 358 
			 Leigh Infant School North Street Leigh-on-Sea SS9 1QE Mrs. P. Lucas Primary 28 February 2005 266 
			 Thorpe Greenways Junior School Greenways Southend-on-Sea SS1 3BS Mr. P. N. H. Fairbrass Primary 16 November 2005 481 
			 Thorpe Greenways Infant School Greenways Southend-on-Sea SS1 3BS Mrs. D. D. Matthews Primary 13 January 2003 329 
			 West Leigh Junior School Ronald Hill Grove Leigh-on-Sea SS9 2JB Mrs. C. Woolf Primary 12 November 2001 513 
			 West Leigh Infant School Ronald Hill Grove Leigh-on-Sea SS9 2JB Mrs. Lynn Gent Primary 17 June 2002 360 
			 Bournes Green Junior School Ladram Road Southend-on-Sea SS1 3PX Mr. Rupert Snow Primary 2 December 2002 264 
			 Barons Court Infant School and Nursery Avenue Road Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 7PJ Mrs. G. Wood Primary 21 May 2001 156 
			 Heycroft Primary School Benvenue Avenue Leigh-on-Sea SS9 5SJ Mr. Chris Russell Primary 10 June 2002 416 
			 Darlinghurst Primary and Nursery School Pavilion Drive Leigh-on-Sea SS9 3JS Mr. Robert Knight Primary 20 May 2002 396 
			 Bournes Green Infant School Burlescoombe Road Southend-on-Sea SS1 3PX Mrs. A. Keech Primary 14 October 2002 180 
			 Temple Sutton Primary School Eastern Avenue Southend-on-Sea SS2 4BA Ms F. Gulley Primary 23 November 2005 744 
			 Blenheim Primary School School Way Leigh-on-Sea SS9 4HX Mrs. M. Turner Primary 24 September 2001 421 
			 Fairways Primary School The Fairway Leigh-on-Sea SS9 4QW Mrs. D. K. Allen Primary 15 September 2003 400 
			 St. Mary's, Prittlewell, C of E Primary School Boston Avenue Southend-on-Sea SS2 6JH Mrs. Frances E. Neil Primary 1 July 2002 417 
			 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and Nursery Windermere Road Southend-on-Sea SS1 2RF Mrs. B. Frampton Primary 10 November 2003 236 
			 St. Helen's Catholic Primary School North Road Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 7AY Mrs. E. Mouchel Primary 18 September 2000 201 
			 Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School Manchester Drive Leigh-on-Sea SS9 3HS Mr. J. M. Love Primary 3 July 2002 421 
			 St. George's Catholic Primary School Eagle Way Southend-on-Sea SS3 9RN Mr. J. M. Bardy Primary 17 October 2005 207 
			 The Westborough Primary School and Nursery Macdonald Avenue Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 9BS Mrs. J. A. Davies Primary 24 January 2005 703 
			 Thorpedene Infants' School Delaware Road Southend-on-Sea SS3 9NP Mrs. A. M. Meek Primary 8 September 2003 241 
			 Thorpedene Junior School Delaware Road Southend-on-Sea SS3 9NP Mr. M. Williams Primary 5 November 2001 331 
			 Prince Avenue Primary Foundation School and Nursery Hornby Avenue Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 0LG Mrs. J. Watson Primary 7 March 2005 368 
			 Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery Salisbury Avenue Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 7AU Mrs. M. Haynes Primary 15 March 2004 470 
			 Porters Grange Primary School and Nursery Lancaster Gardens Southend-on-Sea SS1 2NS Mrs. R. Ferdinand Primary 17 March 2003 490 
			 Bournemouth Park Primary School Bournemouth Park Road Southend-on-Sea SS2 5JN Mrs. A. Hutchinson Primary 29 March 2006 533 
			 Richmond Avenue Primary School Richmond Avenue Southend-on-Sea SS3 9LG Mrs. Bronwyn Smith Primary 19 October 2005 398 
			 Friars Primary School and Nursery Constable Way Southend on Sea SS3 9XX Mrs. Ann Germanacos Primary 1— 475 
			 Eastwood Primary School Rayleigh Road Leigh-on-Sea SS9 5UT Mr. Philip Davies Primary 1— 394 
			 Edwards Hall Primary School Bosworth Road Leigh-on-Sea SS9 5AB Mrs. Linda Wells Primary 1— 466 
			 Shoeburyness High School Caulfield Road Southend-on-Sea SS3 9LL Mrs. Susan Murphy Secondary 16 November 2005 1,548 
			 The Prittlewell Technology College Prittlewell Chase Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 0RT Mrs. Denise Allen Secondary 8 February 2006 902 
			 The Thorpe Bay School Southchurch Boulevard Southend-on-Sea SS2 4UY Ms Jean Alder Secondary 28 November 2005 565 
			 Belfairs High School Highlands Boulevard Leigh-on-Sea SS9 3TG Mr. J. R. Duprey Secondary 15 October 2001 1,242 
			 Southend High School for Boys Prittlewell Chase Southend-on-Sea SS0 0RG Mr. M. Frampton Secondary 1 February 2006 938 
			 St. Thomas More High School for Boys Kenilworth Gardens Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 0BW Mr. F. Keenan Secondary 23 November 2005 978 
			 Cecil Jones College Eastern Avenue Southend-on-Sea SS2 4BU R. Hellen Secondary 17 September 2001 1,573 
			 St. Bernard's High School and Arts College Milton Road Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 7JS Mrs. Patricia Barron Secondary 21 January 2002 864 
			 Westcliff High School for Boys Kenilworth Gardens Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 0BP Mr. A. J. Baker Secondary 7 February 2005 1,000 
			 The Eastwood School (11-18) Rayleigh Road Leigh-On-Sea SS9 5UT Mr. D. Penketh Secondary 3 November 2003 966 
			 Westcliff High School for Girls Kenilworth Gardens Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 0BS Dr. P. B. Hayman Secondary 19 January 2004 1,028 
			 Southend High School for Girls Southchurch Boulevard Southend-on-Sea SS2 4UZ Mr. David Mansfield Secondary 11 November 2002 996 
			 (1) These schools opened relatively recently and have not yet been inspected by Ofsted.

Teaching

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list which maintained schools teach Mandarin.

Jim Knight: holding answer 17 May 2006
	Information is not collected on the subjects taught in schools, however it is possible to provide figures on the number of schools where at least one pupil has been entered for a particular subject. It is not possible, however, to say whether the school has actually taught the subject or whether the pupil has been entered privately.
	The number of maintained schools where at least one 15-year-old(1) pupil was entered for a GCSE full course in Chinese(2) in 2005(3) was 500. A full list of these schools has been placed in the House Library.
	(1) Age at start of academic year i.e. 31 August.
	(2 )GCSE Chinese qualifications are accessible to both Mandarin and Cantonese speakers.
	(3) Includes attempts by these pupils in previous academic years.

Teaching

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many mathematics teacher vacancies there are in each  (a) local authority area and  (b) region in England; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 18 May 2006
	The following table provides the number of mathematics teacher vacancies in maintained secondary schools by local authority and Government office region, in January 2005 and January 2006. Information for 2006 is provisional and is not yet available at local authority level.
	The mathematics vacancy rate in maintained secondary schools in England for January 2005 was1.2 per cent. compared to the provisional 2006 figure of 1.0 per cent.
	
		
			  Number of full-time and part-time mathematic teacher vacancies( 1)  in maintained secondary schools in England, January 2005 and 2006 
			  Vacancies 
			   2005  2006( 2) 
			   Full-time  Part-time  Full-time  Part-time 
			 Darlington 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Hartlepool 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Middlesbrough 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Stockton on Tees 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Durham 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Northumberland 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Gateshead 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 North Tyneside 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 South Tyneside 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Sunderland 4 0 n/a n/a 
			 North East 9 0 7 1 
			  
			 Blackburn with Darwen 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Blackpool 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Halton 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Warrington 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Cheshire 0 1 n/a n/a 
			 Cumbria 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Bolton 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Bury 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Manchester 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Old ham 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Rochdale 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Salford 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Stockport 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Tameside 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Trafford 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Wigan 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Lancashire 13 0 n/a n/a 
			 Knowsley 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Liverpool 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 St. Helens 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Sefton 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Wirral 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 North West 32 1 11 0 
			  
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 City of Kingston Upon Hull 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 North Lincolnshire 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 York 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 North Yorkshire 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Barnsley 2 1 n/a n/a 
			 Doncaster 4 0 n/a n/a 
			 Rotherham 1 1 n/a n/a 
			 Sheffield 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Bradford 2 1 n/a n/a 
			 Calderdale 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Kirklees 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Leeds 7 1 n/a n/a 
			 Wakefield 0 1 n/a n/a 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 27 5 18 3 
			  
			 Derby 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Leicester 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Nottingham 4 0 n/a n/a 
			 Rutland 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Derbyshire 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Leicestershire 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 n/a n/a 
			 Northamptonshire 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 0 n/a n/a 
			 East Midlands 16 1 12 1 
			  
			 Herefordshire 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Stoke on Trent 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Shropshire 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Staffordshire 4 0 n/a n/a 
			 Warwickshire 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Birmingham 5 0 n/a n/a 
			 Coventry 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Dudley 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Sandwell 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Solihull 2 1 n/a n/a 
			 Walsall 5 1 n/a n/a 
			 Wolverhampton 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Worcestershire 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 West Midlands 31 2 24 5 
			  
			 Luton 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Peterborough 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Southend on Sea 2 1 n/a n/a 
			 Thurrock 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Bedfordshire 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 1 n/a n/a 
			 Essex 6 0 n/a n/a 
			 Hertfordshire 10 1 n/a n/a 
			 Norfolk 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Suffolk 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 East of England 31 3 34 2 
			  
			 Camden 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 City of London 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Hackney 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Haringey 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Islington 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Lambeth 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Lewisham 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Newham 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Southwark 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Wandsworth 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 City of Westminster 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Barnet 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Bexley 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Brent 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Bromley 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Croydon 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Ealing 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Enfield 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Greenwich 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Harrow 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Havering 4 0 n/a n/a 
			 Hillingdon 5 0 n/a n/a 
			 Hounslow 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Merton 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Redbridge 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Richmond upon Thames 4 0 n/a n/a 
			 Sutton 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Waltham Forest 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 London 41 0 34 2 
			  
			 Bracknell Forest 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Brighton and Hove 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Isle of Wight 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Medway 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Milton Keynes 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Portsmouth 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Reading 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Slough 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Southampton 3 0 n/a n/a 
			 West Berkshire 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Wokingham 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Buckinghamshire 8 0 n/a n/a 
			 East Sussex 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Hampshire 3 2 n/a n/a 
			 Kent 3 2 n/a n/a 
			 Oxfordshire 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Surrey 4 1 n/a n/a 
			 West Sussex 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 South East 34 5 44 2 
			  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0 1 n/a n/a 
			 Bournemouth 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 City of Bristol 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 North Somerset 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Plymouth 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Poole 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 South Gloucestershire 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Swindon 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Torbay 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Cornwall 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Devon 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Dorset 1 0 n/a n/a 
			 Gloucestershire 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 Somerset 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Wiltshire 2 0 n/a n/a 
			 South West 10 1 8 1 
			  
			 England 231 18 192 17 
			 n/a = not available (1) Advertised vacancies for permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Posts filled by somebody on a contract of a term or more are not counted as being vacant. (2) Provisional  Source: Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, 618g.

Violence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the incidence of reported violence towards  (a) staff and  (b) pupils was in the 100 (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools with the (A) highest and (B) lowest percentage of children receiving free school meals in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Young Carers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that further and higher education establishments support young carers.

Bill Rammell: Further and higher education institutions are self-governing independent bodies. Each institution is responsible for its own arrangements to widen participation and to facilitate their students' access to learning. Most institutions provide a range of student services for existing students who need particular help.
	Carers may also be eligible for financial support from further and higher education establishments. Awards from the Learner Support Fund are made by further education colleges on the basis of individual need, using locally defined criteria. For students in higher education, the Access to Learning Fund, a non repayable discretionary fund, covers students with caring responsibilities. Information on the extent to which young carers have benefited from these funds is not collected at national level.

Anhydrite Mines

Iain Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2006,  Official Report, column 924W, on anhydrite mines, how many bids there were for funding in the current round of the Land Stabilisation Programme; what the total amount was of such bids; and what the total value is of the Land Stabilisation Programme.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 1 April 2005 English Partnerships has received two applications for funding totalling £4.16 million through the Land Stabilisation Programme.
	The current Land Stabilisation Programme budget is £236 million, this encompasses expenditure since the start of the Programme in 1999, funding already committed and forecast to the end of the Programme in 2011.

Areas of Great Landscape Value

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Government have  (a) to remove and  (b) to abolish Areas of Great Landscape Value designation.

Yvette Cooper: Areas of Great Landscape Value are local designations established by local authorities. Government policy on such designations is set out in Planning Policy Statement 7 (PPS7) Sustainable Development in Rural Areas (2004). While recognising the value of local landscapes, the Government believe that carefully drafted criteria based policies in development plans provide sufficient protection for such areas without the need for rigid local designations that may unduly restrict acceptable sustainable development and economic activity that underpins the vitality of rural areas. Such designations should therefore only be maintained or, exceptionally extended, where it can clearly shown that criteria based policies cannot provide the necessary protection. PPS7 indicates that the Government expect planning authorities to consider rigorously the justification for retaining such designations when preparing local development documents, and to ensure that such designations are based on a formal and robust assessment of the qualities of the landscape concerned.

Brownfield Development

Greg Clark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the statistical basis is of the estimates given in the statements on brownfield development attributed to a spokesman from his Department in the Daily Telegraph on 22 April 2006;
	(2)  what percentage of new homes built on brownfield sites were built on previously residential land in each year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The estimates given in the statement were based on information from Land Use Change Statistics (LUCS). The latest LUCS show that in 2004 72 per cent. of new dwellings, including conversions, were built on brownfield land (technically known as 'previously-developed' land). Claims that two-thirds of new dwellings built on brownfield land are on gardens are contradicted by the statistics in LUCS.
	Of the dwellings built on brownfield land in 2004,22 per cent. were on land that was previously used for residential purposes (which includes buildings and the land associated with those buildings). This is 15 per cent. of all new dwellings built.
	There are no statistics on how much of this residential previously-developed land comprises the footprint of the previous homes on the site and how much is the surrounding area. Nor are there detailed statistics on what area of the land is covered by new buildings and what is surrounding open space and garden. It is therefore incorrect to suggest that even15 per cent. of new homes are built on gardens.
	LUCS are derived from information on individual sites recorded by Ordnance Survey during their map revision work and supplied to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Information relating to the percentages of new dwellings, including conversions, built on all brownfield land and on land that was previously used for residential purposes is set out in the following table for 1986 onwards.
	The majority of new homes built in the last few years have been on non-residential brownfield land.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   New dwellings on previously developed land as a proportion of all new dwellings, including conversions  New dwellings on previously residential land as a proportion of all on previously- developed land  New dwellings on previously residential land as a proportion of all new dwellings 
			 1986 54 50 26 
			 1987 51 46 22 
			 1988 53 39 19 
			 1989 55 35 18 
			 1990 54 39 20 
			 1991 53 31 16 
			 1992 56 29 16 
			 1993 56 23 12 
			 1994 54 22 11 
			 1995 57 21 12 
			 1996 57 21 11 
			 1997 56 21 11 
			 1998 58 21 12 
			 1999 59 21 12 
			 2000 62 24 14 
			 2001 63 23 14 
			 2002 67 23 15 
			 2003 70 23 15 
			 2004 72 22 15

Decent Homes Standard

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on progress towards the decent homes standard for social housing in each region of England.

Yvette Cooper: Data on the progress towards the decent homes target is measured through the English House Condition Survey. Data for 2001 are published on our website at: www.communties.gov.uk/ehcs Updated regional data for 2003 will be published in the summer.

Departmental Initiatives

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister ifhe will list the departmental initiatives for each yearsince 2000 which required bids for funding from  (a) voluntary organisations and  (b) local authorities together with the total resource allocated to each initiative in each year; how many successful bids there were in each year; what proportion this figure represents of the total bids received; and what assessment he has made of the costs of (i) preparing bids for each initiative and (ii) assessing those bids.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	Special Grants Programme?provides funding for innovative work by voluntary and community organisations exploring diverse ways of involving people in improving the quality of our public spaces, and delivering on the issues to create cleaner, safer and greener communities. No bidding round was held for 2006-07. No assessment has been made on the cost of preparing or assessing bids.
	
		
			   Resources allocated (£ million)  Number of successful new bids  Percentage of successful bids 
			 2000-01 2.2 11 18 
			 2001-02 2 25 21 
			 2002-03 2 17 17 
			 2003-04 2 17 7 
			 2004-05 2.3 21 7 
			 2005-06 2 9 3 
			 2006-07 2.25 0 0

Home Condition Inspectors

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how he plans to monitor the performance of home condition inspectors; and what estimate he has made of the cost of conducting such monitoring.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Responsibility for monitoring the effectiveness of the performance for Home Inspectors will be a matter for the relevant Certification Scheme. Schemes will operate to standards laid down by the Secretary of State and published in later this year.

Home Condition Inspectors

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether home inspectors' qualifications will need to be certified by the Award Body for the Built Environment.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Home Inspectors will be required to hold a qualification that complies with the National Occupational Standards in Home Inspection. The Diploma in Home Inspection offered by the Awarding Body for the Built Environment has been approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and is recognised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as delivering the appropriate Standards. It isopen to other prospective awarding bodies to develop qualifications compliant with the National Occupational Standards.

Home Information Packs

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how long he estimates it will take to put together a Home Information Pack.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The Home Information Pack will need to be available before the first point of marketing of the property. We expect at this stage most Home Information Packs to be put together within five days, and we shall review that estimate in the light of the experience of practitioners as part of the dry-run.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many commercial insurers have agreed to provide professional indemnity insurance in relation to the contents of Home Information Packs.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Regulations to be made under part V of the Housing Act 2004 will provide that Home Condition Reports must be produced by a Home Inspector where work is covered by suitable indemnity insurance. Discussions with insurers indicate that such cover will be available in the market. Surveyors are able to get professional indemnity insurance for the surveys they currently carry out.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the level of participation in the dry run for home information packs (HIP) prior to June 2007; and what the legal status will be of a voluntary  (a) HIP and  (b) Home Condition Report;
	(2)  whether the dry run for home information packs will start before the Home Information Certification Scheme is in place;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of whether mortgage lenders will be able to take part fully in the dry run of home information packs prior to June, including participating in electronic access to the Register of Home Condition Reports.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The first phase of the dry-run is already in progress with 49 organisations in England and Wales providing more than 2,500 home information packs on a voluntary basis More than 150 organisations who plan to offer voluntary home information pack related services prior to 1 June 2007 have already approached the Department to become involved in the dry-run and we expect the number to increase as we approach the second phase of the dry-run.
	The legal status of a voluntary home information pack, with the exception of the home condition report, will be same now as after 1 June 2007 with all components retaining their existing indemnity. Home condition reports will not be included in voluntary home information packs until the second phase of the dry-run, which is due to commence in October 2006, after the first certification scheme has been set up. This will ensure that home condition reports will only be produced by home inspectors who are members of a Government approved certification scheme.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Ministerwhat powers the Government have to delay the implementation date of home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Home Information Packs will be commenced by order, under the power in Part V of the HousingAct 2004. We expect to make such an order early in2007 in order to implement Home Information Packs on 1 June 2007.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) home condition reports and  (b) home information packs will be required for (i) right to buy property transactions and (ii) sale or extension of a leasehold.

Yvette Cooper: As right to buy properties will not be openly marketed they will not require either a home information pack or a home condition report. However, the Government are considering whether tenants exercising their right to buy would benefit from receiving some of the information available in home information packs.
	The sale of a leasehold property will require both a home condition report and a home information pack before first point of marketing, unless they are covered by those exemptions outlined in Part V of the Housing Act 2004. An extension to a leasehold will not require a home information pack as the property is not being marketed.

Housing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Government have  (a) to increase density targets for new residential development and  (b) to reclassify the brownfield designation of gardens in residential properties.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 7 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 1140-41W, and to the right hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) on 6 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1164W.
	We will make a final decision on this issue when we publish revised planning policy statement 3: 'Housing' later in the year.

Housing

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what initiatives she is pursuing to encourage affordable housing developments in Easington constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government are working in partnership with local authorities in the region, including Easington district council to achieve a better balance between housing availability and the demand for housing, including improving affordability. Among the measures which have been employed in Easington has been the successful transfer of their housing stock to East Durham Homes and successful on-going progress towards achieving the decent homes standard. The work has allowed housing which was previously vacant to be brought back into use and has improved the quality of the stock generally.
	In addition to this, the Housing Corporation have made available £7 million over the last three years to provide 140 new affordable housing units in Easington. English Partnerships are working with the Durham Coalfield Housing Renewal Partnership with strategic proposals to assist in the regeneration of settlements within the former coalfield areas. A strategy is being drawn up which should facilitate significant investment in these areas including the provision of affordable housing.
	The Government have also introduced changes to lessen the impact of Right-to-Buy through the Housing Act 2004 through extending the initial qualification period, extending the period that owners need to repay all or some of their discount and the requirement for owners selling homes within 10 years to offer the properties back to a local social landlord. The Government Office for the North East continues to work with Easington district council and other partners including the Regional Housing Board to address housing issues in the area.

Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what was the level of Housing Corporation grant available for  (a) general needs housing and  (b) sheltered/OAP housing in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows Approved Development Programme (ADP) expenditure for each of the past five years for social rented housing, and for rented sheltered housing for elderly people.
	
		
			  Approved development programme expenditure by year (£ million) 
			   General needs  Of which :sheltered housing for OAPs 
			 2001-02 646 34 
			 2002-03 760 41 
			 2003-04 1,171 72 
			 2004-05 1,050 52 
			 2005-06 provisional 960 57 
			 2006-08 planned 2,938 159

Housing

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many individuals resided in Government-subsidised housing in Milton Keynes in each of the last eight years.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the number of individuals in Government subsidised housing is not available centrally. Information on the number of council homes and Registered Social Landlord units and bed spaces is published on the ODPM website. Table 115 gives the RSL rented stock by local authority from 1997 and is available at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/21/Tablel15Excel96Kb_idl156021.xls
	Table 116 gives the local authority rented stock by district from 1994 and is available at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/22/Tablel16Excell27Kb_idl156022.xls

Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance the Government have given to local authorities on (a) contract compliance and  (b) imposing conditions in the procurement process unrelated to cost, quality or quantity of services.

Phil Woolas: Section 17 of the Local Government Act 1988 prevents authorities from introducing "non-commercial" considerations, such as the political affiliations of contractors, into the procurement process.
	There is a range of advice and guidance on good procurement which local authorities can draw on. Sources include the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), the Public Private, Partnership Programme (the 4ps) and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA). Specific guidance on local government procurement includes the joint ODPM/ Local Government Association 'National Procurement Strategy for Local Government'. This makes clear that council requirements can also include social, environmental and other strategic objectives that are relevant to the subject of the contract.

Local Government

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact on a local authority of entering into a local area agreement.

Phil Woolas: My Department has commissioned a consortium led by the Office for Public Management to evaluate the negotiation process and initial impacts of pilot and second round local area agreements (LAAs). The first report is available at http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l 161635. A second report will be published in the summer.

Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 26 April, 2006,  Official Report, column 1198W, on local government finance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the accompanying manual and documentation for the toolkit in  (a) hard copy and  (b) CD-rom.

Phil Woolas: There is no manual or documentation to accompany the toolkit.

My Society

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding was allocated to mySociety in each of the last five years; and what other support has been provided to the organisation.

Phil Woolas: A grant of £250,000 was allocated to West Sussex county council under the Local e-Government e-Innovations Round 1 Programme in 2004-05 for mySociety.
	Further support of £163,150 was made available to the organisation through the e-Innovations Product and Marketisation strand via Kirklees MBC who were grant aided to carry out this role on behalf of the Local e-Government Programme.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to question 63872, on shared equity housing, tabled by the hon. Member for St. Ives on 30 March.

Yvette Cooper: I have answered the hon. Member's questions today. I apologise for the delay in replying.

Planning

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the implementation of special protection areas on the planning process.

Yvette Cooper: Special protection areas (SPAs), designated under the EC birds directive, receive statutory protection through the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 1994. Since 1994 planning policy has reflected the statutory protection given to SPAs, and planning permission for development which will have a significant effect on them can only be given in tightly defined circumstances. Details are set out in the joint ODPM/DEFRA circular: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation—Statutory obligations and their impact within the planning system (ODPM June 2005, DEFRA January 2005).
	For the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, the Government have been working in partnership with English Nature, the South East England Regional Assembly, local authorities and other stakeholders to develop a strategic approach to the assessment of planning applications that could impact on the SPA. The Government's aim is to ensure the delivery of much needed housing, while ensuring that the SPA is given appropriate protection.

Regional Government

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the annual cost of regional level government is for each region.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The Greater London Authority (GLA) will receive £37.868 million this year (2006-07) from central Government for the core GLA itself (through the General GLA Grant). The Mayor is also expected to raise a further £26.9 million for the core GLA from the GLA precept on London council tax payers, putting the annual cost of the GLA at £64.8 million.
	For details of 2006-07 central Government grant to the eight regional assemblies outside London, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 121W.

Register of Home Condition Reports

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has had with the Information Commissioner on the proposed Register of Home Condition Reports electronic database.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	We have discussed the proposed Home Condition Report register with the Information Commissioner's Office, who have confirmed they are satisfied with the proposals. Access to the register will be tightly controlled by regulations. Only sellers, buyers, their advisers and mortgage lenders and those monitoring the performance and quality of Home Condition Reports will have access.

Science Cities

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department expects to be presented with implementation plans from the regional development agencies for the development of science cities; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	Science Cities are a policy initiative led by the regional development agencies. RDAs are working with other Science City partners to develop detailed implementation plans for Science Cities, in line with regional economic development strategies. The six Science Cities—Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and York—will present progress reports at the Science Cities National summit, to be held in Manchester at the end of May. The summit will also provide an opportunity to share best practice and consider how national and regional policies can best support science cities.

Social Services

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the standard spending assessment was for social services in the south-west in each year since 1997.

Phil Woolas: The following tables show the Standard Spending Assessment, Formula Spending Share and Relative Needs Formula for Children's Social Care. Standard Spending Assessments were replaced in 2003-04 by Formula Spending Shares. A new system of Relative Needs Formulae was introduced for 2006-07. All these formulae look at an authority's relative needs on a particular service.
	The Government do not regard any of these measures as an assessment of how much an authority should spend on a particular service.
	
		
			   Standard spending assessment for personal social services (£ million) 
			 1997-98 641.764 
			 1998-99 682.035 
			 1999-2000 717.628 
			 2000-01 756.284 
			 2001-02 777.610 
			 2002-03 804.752 
		
	
	
		
			   Formula spending share for personal social services (£ million) 
			 2003-04 972.919 
			 2004-05 1,073.487 
			 2005-06 1,178.569 
		
	
	
		
			   Relative needs formula for personal social services 
			 2006-07 0.02133320314962 
			 2007-08 0.02222190453459

Social Services

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the social services standard spending assessment was for children's services in Cornwall in each year since 2001.

Phil Woolas: The following tables show the standard spending assessment, formula spending share and relative needs formula for children's social care. Standard spending assessments were replaced in 2003-04 by formula spending shares. A new system as introduced for 2006-07. The Relative Needs Formulae look at an authority's relative need to spend on a particular service and are therefore not expressed in £s.
	Please note that during this period none of these measures were the Government's assessment of how much an authority should spend on a particular service nor were they grant. They are simply formula based on the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of an authority.
	
		
			  Standard spending assessment for personal social services for children 
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 12.849 
			 2002-03 12.606 
		
	
	
		
			  Formula spending share for personal social services for children 
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 21.671 
			 2004-05 26.575 
			 2005-06 28.443 
		
	
	
		
			   Relative needs formula for children's social care  Relative needs formula for children's social care damping 
			 2006-07 0.00059188635792 -0.00004889798654 
			 2007-08 0.00062002479926 -0.00004368678072

Trees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much money the Government have spent on producing research published within the Research for Amenity Trees series.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	A total of £1.95 million was spent on producing research published within the Research for Amenity Trees series. The cost for each publication is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Research for amenity trees series 
			  Number  Title  Date  Cost of research (£) 
			 1 Trees in Towns 1993 184,188 
			 2 Diagnosis of III Health in Trees 1994 (1)769,750 
			 3 Urban Tree Strategies 1994 22,400 
			 4 The Body Language of Trees—A Handbook For Failure Analysis 1995 0 
			 5 Urban Woodland and the Benefits for Local Air Quality 1996 8,920 
			 6 Arboricultural Practice: Present and Future 1997 (2)576,848 
			 7 Principle of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management 1999 (3)— 
			 8 Tree Roots in the Built Environment 2006(4) 93,700 
			 (1) Total cost of research under contract Arboriculture V shown. Not possible to disaggregate this figure. (2) Total cost of research under contract Arboricultural VI shown. Not possible to disaggregate this figure. (3) Included in number 6 above. (4) In print.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) presentation and  (b) handouts produced by Diane Leggo, Director of Council Tax for the Valuation Office Agency for the lecture on 23 November 2005 at the CPD Foundation.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	A copy of the presentation has been placed in the Library of the House. The handouts were a copy of this presentation.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 26 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 1200-01W, on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), why publication of the VOA document "Dwellinghouse Coding—An Illustrated Guide" would breach privacy; what advice she has requested from the Information Commissioner on whether publication would breach privacy; and what categories of personal information the document contains.

Phil Woolas: The document—which is for the use of Valuation Office Agency listing officers and their staff only—contains photographs of individual properties. There is potential for the privacy of the occupiers of these properties to be breached if the illustrated guide is placed in the public domain. No advice has been sought from the Information Commissioner.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 27 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 1283-4W, on the Valuation Office Agency, whether the Tenet IT Mapping software includes  (a) photographic data and  (b) vector data; and what data sources are used to provide the mapping information.

Phil Woolas: The Tenet IT Mapping software used by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) does not include  (a) photographic data but does include  (b) vector data in the form of Land Line and MasterMap products.
	The source data that underpins the Tenet IT Mapping software comprises the following map layers provided by Ordnance Survey: Land Line; MasterMap; 1:10,000 Scale Black and White Raster Map; 1:25,000, 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 Scales Colour Raster Map; Postcode Map; Boundary-Line; and Address Point.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden, of 25 January 2006,  Official Report, column 2190W, on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), whether the VOA has supplied information to Ordnance Survey relating to domestic properties.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), on 25 January 2006,  Official Report, column 2190W. The Valuation Office Agency has recently supplied samples of addresses drawn from the council tax valuation list, followed by compilations of similar data covering the whole of England and Wales.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use the Valuation Office Agency makes of people's panels for  (a) business rates and  (b) council tax purposes.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency has not used People's Panels for business rates purposes. The Agency has used them for council tax purposes to better understand council taxpayers' understanding and perceptions of the valuation and banding system and to explore reactions to communications material under development to ensure that this would achieve its objectives of being clear and readily understood.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the  (a) data and  (b) software the Valuation Office Agency uses that is provided by Ordnance Survey.

Phil Woolas: The  (a) data provided by Ordnance Survey for use by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in its mapping software is: Land Line; MasterMap; 1:10,000 Scale Black and White Raster Map; 1:25,000, 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 Scales Colour Raster Map; Postcode Map; and Boundary-Line. The Ordnance Survey does not provide any  (b) software to the VOA.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the guidance that the Valuation Office Agency uses to assess and value composite/mixed hereditaments.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 19 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1546W, and the answers given to the hon. Member on 26 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1203W, and 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 79W and 96W.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Valuation Office Agency has paid in each of the last five years for  (a) products and  (b) information from Ordnance Survey.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency pays for access to Ordnance Survey's digital mapping products. This is the only material purchased by the Agency.
	The total amounts paid by the Valuation Office Agency for these products provided by Ordnance Survey in the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 (1)— 
			 2002-03 (1)— 
			 2003-04 375,000.00 
			 2004-05 375,000.00 
			 2005-06 375,000.00 
			 (1 )Details not available—could be provided only at disproportionate cost

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter of 24 January from the hon. Member for Aylesbury to the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary on the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on Longwick Village hall.

Shaun Woodward: I will reply to the hon. Member shortly. I am sorry that there has been a delay in responding.

Departmental Advisers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been paid in  (a) salary,  (b) travelling expenses,  (c) subsistence allowance and  (d) removal expenses to special advisers in her private office in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. For information relating to the last financial year I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 158-61WS. Information on special advisers for this financial year is currently being collected and will be published in the normal way when it is ready.
	The following table shows available data on expenditure on travel and subsistence. An analysis by type of expenditure rating is not recorded on the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Travel and subsistence (£) 
			 2005-06(1) 6,821.47 
			 2004-05 1,838.15 
			 2003-04 1,156.93 
			 2002-03 2,569.52 
			 2001-02 1,969.19 
			 (1 )Subject to final resource accounting. 
		
	
	All official travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in her Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years.

David Lammy: The following table shows departmental expenditure on travel and subsistence in each of the last three years. An analysis of expenditure by nation and region is not recorded on the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Civil servants UK T&S  Civil servants overseas T&S  Special advisers UK T&S  Special advisers overseas T&S 
			 2005-06 271,566.53 283,747.83 2,693.82 4,127.65 
			 2004-05 217,415.85 278,761.80 1,838.15 0 
			 2003-04 238,273.33 235,210.16 1,156.93 0

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discounts are available in relation to hotel accommodation used by  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in her Department.

David Lammy: While the Department can obtain Government discounted hotel accommodation rates through the hotel booking agent—Expotel, the main criteria is best value for money. An analysis of full and discounted rates is not recorded on the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Municipal Sports Facilities

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect on municipal sports facilities of increased energy prices; and if she will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	I take the recent increases in energy prices very seriously and the Government is very concerned about the impact on all sectors in the UK. In the past year global fossil fuel prices have increased and this has fed through to the UK. Over the past decade energy prices in the UK have been amongst the cheapest in the EU, but I do recognise the serious recent difficulties for all sectors. However, I remain optimistic about investment by local authorities in sports facilities, which will amount to some £1 billion over the next 3 years. In addition, since 1997 Government and lottery distributing bodies between them have invested over£3 billion in physical activity and sport.
	The DTI and Ofgem have been holding a number of seminars to educate energy buyers of all types about the options for purchasing gas and electricity in these times of high prices. In addition, Energywatch has set up a Business Services Team to provide information and guidance to small and medium sized enterprises, and runs a joint campaign with the Federation for Small Businesses called "Make the Connection". For the public sector, the Office for Government Commerce has been developing advice and models for energy purchasing for both local authorities and central government, and these are being rolled out nationally.

Royal Parks

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued to the Royal Parks Agency on large-scale commercial events in the Royal Parks.

David Lammy: Ministers endorsed the Royal Parks Events Strategy in February 2004 which was drawn up after extensive consultation with stakeholders that seeks to balance the demand for events with protecting the fabric of the parks.
	The number of major events is limited and the impact on the park and park users is always taken into account in considering possible events and weighed against the benefits that the event brings. Event organisers are required to take out a bond to fund any reinstatement necessary after an event.

Arms Control

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to promote worldwide arms control.

Kim Howells: The Government have been in the forefront of international efforts to strengthen the regulation of the arms trade and to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We were instrumental in securing an EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, and are leading the way towards revision of the code, and we regularly urge other countries to adopt stricter and more transparent arms export policies. We are active members of all the key multilateral regimes that work to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the Australia Group (which deals with chemical and biological weapons), and of the Wassenaar Arrangement, which promotes transparency in conventional arms transfers. The UK is also a member of key arms control treaties, such as the Ottawa Convention on Landmines, the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
	The Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) is to be held this June, and the UK, in co-operation with a wide range of other partners, has made positive progress in building support for agreement there to minimum common criteria to underpin controls on transfers of SALW.
	The Government are committed to pursuing an international arms trade treaty that includes all conventional arms. We believe that such a treaty needs to include a wide range of signatories, including the world's major arms exporters. We are engaging on this with other countries at various levels, including through ministerial contacts, specific events, direct expert-level talks and using our network of overseas posts. This work will continue with the aim of building the consensus needed for the start of a formal process at the UN later this year.

Belarus

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of reports that Belarus has sold arms illegally to Iran.

Kim Howells: The Government takes a close interest in all reports of arms transfers to and from countries whose current activities give rise to issues of potential concern. We are aware of media reports alleging Belarus has re-exported arms brought from Russia to Iran and are monitoring the situation.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what monitoring her Department undertakes of the treatment of repatriated asylum seekers in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what her latest assessment has been of their treatment;
	(2)  what evidence her Department has received of persecution of repatriated asylum seekers by the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ian McCartney: The Congolese Government has stated that it has no policy of mistreating failed asylum seekers returning from abroad. Staff from our embassy in Kinshasa and official visitors regularly monitor the general security conditions and human rights situation, including for returned asylum seekers, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have found no evidence to suggest that unsuccessful asylum seekers are mistreated by the Congolese authorities on return for claiming asylum. As with returns to all countries, neither the Home Office nor the Foreign and Commonwealth Office routinely monitor the treatment of individual Congolese nationals once removed from the UK. They would not be removed if it were considered likely that they would suffer persecution on their return.

EXPO 2010

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what preparations her Department has made for EXPO 2010 in Shanghai; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 15 May 2006
	The Chinese Government have formally invited 160 countries, including the UK, to participate in the 2010 Expo. We are considering that invitation. UK Trade and Investment has prepared a business case for UK participation and has had discussions with a wide range of possible stakeholders including other Government Departments, Devolved Administrations, VisitBritain, the British Council, city authorities and with many private sector companies.

Israel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens  (a) visited and  (b) emigrated to Israel in each year since 1997.

Kim Howells: According to the Israeli Bureau of National Statistics, the following numbers of UK citizens visited Israel between 2001 and 2005:
	
		
			   Number of UK tourists (Thousand) 
			 2001 157 
			 2002 140 
			 2003 97 
			 2004 104 
			 2005 146 
		
	
	Figures' for the number of British citizens who have emigrated to Israel are not available. However, between 2004 and April 2006, the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption has reported that a total of 2,289 people have emigrated from western Europe to Israel:
	
		
			   Number of emigrants from western Europe 
			 2004 654 
			 2005 830 
			 2006 (to April) 805 
		
	
	The number of British citizens who have visited and emigrated to Israel in other years since 1997 is notheld centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Israel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from other Government departments about British relations with the state of Israel; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not held discussions with Ministers or officials from other Government Departments about UK relations with Israel.

Israel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the policy of the Government to refuse to recognise Hamas so long as it retains its intent to destroy the State of Israel; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We support the three principles set out by the Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) and EU Foreign Ministers made clear on 30 January. These are that Hamas should renounce violence; recognise Israel; and accept previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. Hamas needs to start implementing these principles and make clear the path they intend to take. We recognise Hamas's democratic mandate as a result of free and fair elections. But with this mandate comes responsibilities. The full text of the Quartet statement of 30 January is available onthe Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=l138869357937.

Maldives

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures her Department is taking  (a) to assist and  (b) to encourage President Gayoom of the Maldives to complete his promised democratic reforms; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We welcome the important democratic changes that the Government of the Maldives have already introduced, including the legalisation of political parties in June 2005 and a recently published 'Roadmap' for reform, which usefully set out some clear timescales. But we remain concerned about the pace of this and about the human rights situation in the Maldives, including freedom of expression and association and the right to fair trials conducted with due legal process. Some recent trials of political activists appear to have political motivations.
	We monitor developments in the Maldives closely, regularly making clear both bilaterally (most recently Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met the Maldivian Minister of State on 28 April) and with EU partners to the Government of the Maldives, the need for progress with existing reforms and concerns about the need for further reform and improved human rights. We also maintain regular contact with the opposition parties.
	Agreement on, and implementation of, further major democratic and constitutional changes will require an inclusive process reflecting the views of political parties, civil society and the general public in the Maldives. Dialogue between the political partiesis essential. We fully support the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat in facilitating dialogue on constitutional reform between the political parties.

Nepal

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings the British ambassador in Nepal has had with the King of Nepal since 1 January; and on what dates each meeting took place.

Kim Howells: None. Our ambassador in Kathmandu's last meeting with the King of Nepal was on21 December 2005, when he accompanied General Philip Trousdell, Colonel Commandant, Royal Gurkha Rifles, at the presentation of the Annual Report on the Brigade of Gurkhas. Prior to that, the ambassador's previous audience with the king was on 25 May 2005.

Nepal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Nepal about  (a) human rights,  (b) good governance and (c) the transition to democracy.

Kim Howells: The UK has had regular discussions with the Nepalese Government at all levels on human rights, including with the King after he took direct power of the country last year. We have also made repeated public statements deploring human rights violations by both the Nepalese security forces and the Maoists. Most recently, senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met the Nepalese ambassador on 2 March and raised our concerns about the continued detention of political leaders and activists, and the restrictions on the media. We also registered our ongoing concerns about the democratic deficit in Nepal with the absence of consultations between the parties for a full return to democracy, including through elections.
	In October 2005, as EU Presidency, the UK led an EU directors level Troika delegation to Nepal. The aim of the Troika visit was to encourage reconciliation and dialogue between the King and the political parties. They discussed human rights and the return to democracy with both the Government of Nepal and the political party leaders.
	We have had several discussions with the Government of Nepal including the King, calling on them to restore democracy and pursue a negotiated political settlement to the conflict involving all of the main actors. In February 2006 a parliamentary delegation led by my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley) visited Nepal and called on party leaders and government officials to discuss the return of democracy in Nepal. The aim of the visit was to support the democratic movement and encourage the return of democracy.
	Following three weeks of violent pro democracy demonstrations the King announced, on 24 April, that he will hand power to the parties and reinstate the Parliament. On 28 April 2006 the first session of the reinstated Parliament took place. We welcome the King's announcement on 24 April and the appointment of the new Prime Minister, G. P. Koirala. On 30 April G. P. Koirala was sworn in to office and the Parliament agreed his proposals to reciprocate the Maoist cease-fire and for a constituent assembly. This represents a genuine opportunity for the restoration of peace, democracy and human rights in Nepal. The UK stands ready, with international partners, to work with the new government and the people of Nepal.

North Korea

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if she will make it her policy to encourage other EU member states to raise concerns about the situation of Mr. Son Jung Nam in an EU demarche to the Government of North Korea;
	(2)  what representations she has made to the Government of North Korea concerning the treatment of Mr. Son Jung Nam;
	(3)  what representations she has made to the government of North Korea  (a) to refrain from executing Mr. Son Jung Nam and  (b) to call for his release.

Ian McCartney: The EU presidency has formally raised concerns with the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK) authorities about Son Jung Nam's circumstances and fate, as have individual member states including the UK.
	We, along with other EU partners, have asked the DPRK authorities to provide further information on Son Jung Nam's circumstances and fate but they have not done so.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have raised Son Jung Nam's case with the North Korean authorities. We set out our well-known opposition to the use of the death penalty and urged the DPRK not to apply it if it was in question in Mr. Son's case. We are deeply concerned about reports of serious human rights violations, in the DPRK, but the lack of access for independent monitors makes it difficult to verify these reports.

Strategic Export Controls

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the evidence from the Minister for State in her Department to the Quadripartite Committee on 3 May, HC 873-vi, on strategic export controls, what steps are being taken by the Government to investigate reports of an illicit diversion of UK-exported Beretta weapons intended for legitimate use in Iraq.

Kim Howells: The hon. Member's question refers to my evidence session before the Quadripartite Committee on 25 April 2006.
	Security conditions in Iraq make it very difficult to investigate all such allegations of diversion or theft of British exports of military listed equipment. Our embassy in Baghdad have investigated these reports as far as they have been able to and have found no firm evidence to support them.
	Despite the anecdotal nature of such allegations of diversion, officials do take them into account when assessing export licence applications. Whenever appropriate, we take advice from our embassy in Baghdad on the risks of diversion.

Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of Syrian compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1559; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has taken note of the latest report on implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 by the UN Secretary-General. This report concluded that a number of operational requirements derived from the resolution had been met, including the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and the conduct of free and fair legislative elections in Lebanon.
	However, the Secretary-General also noted that other requirements of the resolution remained to be implemented, particularly the disarming and disbanding of the Lebanese and non-Lebanese militia; the extension of Government control throughout all Lebanon; and the full restoration and strict respect for the sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and political independence of Lebanon, most notably through the establishment of normal diplomatic relations and the demarcation of borders between Syria and Lebanon.
	In response to the Secretary-General's report, on17 May, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1680, co-drafted by the UK, calling on the Syrian Government to agree to delineate its common border with Lebanon and to establish full diplomatic relations and representation in Lebanon, noting that such measures would constitute a significant step towards asserting Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence and improving relations between the two countries.

Turkey (EU Accession)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress with Turkey's application for accession to the EU.

Geoff Hoon: Since the opening of accession negotiations on 3 October 2005, the Commission has been carrying out the screening process, measuring Turkey's legislation against the 35 chapters of the EU "acquis". The Commission has completed screening on 17 chapters and published screening reports for Science and Research, Education and Culture, Public Procurement and Competition. After the screening of a chapter is complete, member states decide whether to set opening benchmarks, specific requirements the candidate country must meet before the chapter can be opened. We expect the first chapter to be opened during the Austrian presidency.

Venezuela

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Ministers will be meeting the President of Venezuela  (a) publicly and  (b) privately during his forthcoming visit tothe UK.

Geoff Hoon: There were never plans for meetings with Government Ministers, either publicly or privately, during this recent visit. President Chávez made a private visit to the UK and did not request any meetings with the Government.

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had at the United Nations on the holding of a referendum on the future Government of the Western Sahara.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the issue of Western Sahara in the UN.
	The UK supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, Peter van Walsum, to find a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the Western Sahara dispute, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. On 28 April 2006, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1675 which renewed the mandate for the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara until 31 October 2006. The UK supported this, and UK officials at the UN played an active role in the Security Council's consideration of this issue. There are, however, no plans for a UN referendum to be held in the near future.

Cancer

Philip Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people under the age of 18 years in  (a) England and  (b) Shropshire were diagnosed with leukaemia in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 May 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people under the age of 18 years in (a) England and (b) Shropshire were diagnosed with leukaemia in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005. I am replying in her absence. (72138)
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of leukaemia registered in England are the year 2003. Figures for people under the age of 18 years at diagnosis for the years 2002 and 2003 are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Number of newly diagnosed cases of leukaemia( 1)  for people under the age of 18 years at diagnosis, registered in England and the county of Shropshire, 2002-03 
			   England  County of Shropshire 
			 2002 454 0 
			 2003 429 2 
			 (1) Figures selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD10) C91-C95.

Cancer

Philip Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in  (a) England and  (b) Shropshire were diagnosed with (i) leukaemia, (ii) breast cancer and (iii) prostate cancer in (A) 2004 and (B) 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 May 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people in (a) England and (b) Shropshire were diagnosed with (i) leukaemia, (ii) breast cancer and (iii) prostate cancer in (A) 2004 and (B) 2005. I am replying in her absence. (72140)
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer registered in England are the year 2003. Figures by selected cancers for the years 2002 and 2003 are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of selected cancers( 1) , registered in England and the county of Shropshire: 2002-03 
			   England  County of Shropshire 
			  2002   
			 Leukaemia 5,608 32 
			 Breast cancer (females)(2) 34,319 243 
			 Prostate cancer 26,811 218 
			
			  2003   
			 Leukaemia 5,741 22 
			 Breast cancer (females)(2) 36,509 250 
			 Prostate cancer 26,798 209 
			 (1) Figures selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD10), all leukaemias coded as C91-C95, breast cancer as C50 and prostate cancer as C61.(2 )Figures provided here are for female breast cancer. However, there are around 300 cases of male breast cancer diagnosed each year.

Electoral Roll

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of those on the electoral register are  (a) Irish citizens,  (b) Commonwealth citizens and  (c) non-UK EU nationals.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 22 May 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what proportion of those on the electoral register are (a) Irish citizens, (b) Commonwealth citizens and (c) non-UK EU nationals. I am replying in her absence. (72349)
	The attached table provides figures for 1 December 2005 on the percentage of the local government electorate who are entitled to vote through European Union citizenship. These figures do not include citizens of Malta and Cyprus who qualify under commonwealth status or Irish citizens.
	Data on Irish citizens and Commonwealth citizens are not collected separately on electoral returns. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate the proportion of those oh the electoral register.
	
		
			  Total European/Local Government Electorate and Electorate Entitled to Vote through European Citizenship, 1 December 2005 
			   Electorate Qualifying through European Union Citizenship  Total European/Local Government Electorate  Percentage of European/Local Electorate Qualifying through EU Citizenship 
			 England 522,050 37,656,402 1.4 
			 Wales 10,788 2,247,164 0.5 
			 Scotland 24,393 3,884,464 0.6 
			 Northern Ireland 3,620 1,156,991 0.3 
			 United Kingdom 560,851 44,945,021 1.2 
			  Sources: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

Euro

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the statement made by the EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs that all the current EU member states will adopt the euro within 10 years; and whether he has responded to the Commissioner's statement.

Edward Balls: Article 122 of the EC Treaty provides the procedure by which the derogation of relevant member states from the third stage of economic and monetary union is abrogated, thereby allowing them to adopt the euro. Under the Protocol on certain provisions relating to the UK, the UK does not have a derogation. The Protocol recognises that "the United Kingdom shall not be obliged or committed to move to the third stage of economic monetary union without a separate decision to do so by its government and parliament". Government policy on membership of the single currency is unchanged. It remains as set out by the Chancellor in his statement to the House of Commons in October 1997, and again in the Chancellor's statement on the Five Tests assessment in June 2003.

Flat Income Tax

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the level at which a flat income tax would need to be set in order to generate the same anticipated Government income for  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07 as the present banded income tax system.

Dawn Primarolo: Assuming that all personal allowances and reliefs remain at their current levels, a flat rate of income tax on earnings of 24 per cent. would be approximately revenue neutral in both 2005-06 and 2006-07, costing about £0.6 billion and £1.1 billion in each year respectively.
	This assumes a flat rate of tax on earnings only but that the rates for savings and dividends income remain unchanged.
	This revenue neutral estimate has been obtained from the Survey of Personal incomes 2003-04 and projected forward to 2005-06 and 2006-07 in line with March 2006 Budget assumptions.
	The revenue neutral estimate excludes any behavioural response to the tax changes, which could be significant given the scale of the changes.
	An estimated 17 million households would lose out under this system, while only 2 million would gain. Of the households gaining, around three-quarters would be in the richest 10 per cent. of households.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by his Department with outside suppliers over the last five years.

John Healey: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			  IT system  Contract  Original estimate  Most recent estimate  Outturn cost 
			 COINS—Integration of three government financial data systems to form a Single Data System (SDS). Descisys for software 1,527 1,678 1,678 
			  G-Cat supplier for hardware 60 60 60 
			 JIGSAW—Enhancing Electronic Document and Records Management system (EDRMS) Computacenter for software 477 477 477 
			  Computacenter for hardware 149 149 149 
			 ACME / TRiP—Replacement of the computer system TACSYS which supports the operational accounting and cashflow forecasting work of the Treasury Exchequer Funds and Accounts team. City Financials for software 462 462 462 
			  G-Cat supplier for hardware 109 109 109 
			  Note:Values incl. VAT. Annual 'Running costs' are not included in the above figures and have been answered previously in the answer given to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers) on16 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1158W.

Low Earnings

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change was between 2000 and 2005 in the number of people employed part-time or full-time and are earning less than £10,000 per annum.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask what has been the change in the numbers of people between 2000 and 2005 who are employed part-time or full-time and are earnings less than £10,000 per annum. I am responding in her absence (72621)
	Currently average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	The actual numbers of people are not available from ASHE data. Therefore I attach tables showing proportions of those earning less than £10,000 per annum for the years 2000 and 2005 for Employees on Adult Rates.
	The ASHE survey is carried out in April of each year and is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. They are based on a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		
			  Gross annual (£) pay for all employee jobs( 1) 
			   Proportion earning less than £10,000 
			 2000 26.4 
			 2005 20.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Gross annual (£) pay for full-time employee jobs( 1) 
			   Proportion earning less than £10,000 
			 2000 8.8 
			 2005 4.2 
		
	
	
		
			  Gross annual (£) pay for part time employee jobs( 1) 
			   Proportion earning less than £10,000 
			 2000 81.2 
			 2005 68.8 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.  Notes: 1. Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent., we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. 2. The above estimates all have a CV of less than 5 per cent.  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Mortality Statistics

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were of people aged  (a) under one,  (b) one to five,  (c) six to 10,  (d) 11 to 17,  (e) 17 to 24,  (f) 25 to 35,  (g) 36 to 40,  (h) 41 to 50,  (i) 51 to 59,  (j) 60 to 64,  (k) 65 to 69,  (l) 70 to 74,  (m) 75 to 79,  (n) 80 to 84,  (o) 85 to 89 and  (p) 90 years and over from (i) 1 April to 30 September 1997, (ii) 1 October to 30 April 1998, (iii) 1 April to 30 September 2001,(iv) 1 October to 30 April 2002, (v) 1 April to 30 September 2004 and (vi) 1 October to 30 April 2005; and what the death rate per 1,000 was in each case.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 May 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many deaths there were of people in the age group (a) under one, (b) one to five, (c) six to 10, (d) 11 to 17, (e) 17 to 24, (f) 25 to 35, (g) 36 to 40, (h) 41 to 50, (i) 51 to 59, (j) 60 to 64, (k) 65 to 69, (1) 70 to 74, (m) 75 to 79, (n) 80 to 84, (o) 85 to 89 and (p) 90 years and over from (i) 1st April to 30th September 1997, (ii) 1st October to 30th April 1998, (iii) 1st April to 30th September 2001, (iv) 1st October to 30th April 2002, (v) 1st April to 30th September 2004 and (vi) 1st October to 30th April 2005; and what the death rate per 1,000 was in each case. I am replying in her absence. (72160)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2004. Numbers of deaths for the age groups and time periods requested are included in the table below. Age group "18 to 24" has been used to avoid double counting deaths with age group "11 to 17".
	ONS does not routinely calculate death rates for sub-annual periods. Annual death rates by sex and five-year age groups can be found in Table 4 in the publication series, "DH2, Mortality Statistics, Cause". Copies of these can be found in the library of the House and, from 1999 onwards, on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=618.
	
		
			  Numbers of deaths in England and Wales by age group and selected time periods, April 1997 to September 2004( 1) 
			  Number of deaths 
			  Age group  1 April to 30 September 1997  1 October to 30 April 1998  1 April to 30 September 2001  1 October to 30 April 2002  1 April to 30 September 2004 
			 <1 1,852 2,172 1,568 1,904 1,535 
			 01-05 370 503 302 436 272 
			 06-10 229 261 191 200 167 
			 11-17 535 674 453 630 463 
			 18-24 1,301 1,546 1,203 1,395 1,111 
			 25-35 3,167 3,829 2,961 3,410 2,682 
			 36-40 2,047 2,465 2,226 2,594 2,197 
			 41-50 7,728 9,256 7,344 8,994 7,447 
			 51-59 14,302 17,861 14,991 17,962 14,466 
			 60-64 13,372 16,898 12,743 15,388 12,042 
			 65-69 21,846 27,191 18,294 22,713 17,407 
			 70-74 32,756 41,819 28,373 35,598 25,195 
			 75-79 40,316 54,195 40,235 50,652 35,778 
			 80-84 43,708 57,537 42,771 57,056 46,682 
			 85-89 39,259 54,599 41,079 54,846 35,610 
			 90+ 30,134 43,785 35,679 50,069 37,691 
			 (1 )Deaths occurring in each time period.

National Insurance Contributions

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people who will retire in the next 12 months without being told what pension they will receive due to HM Revenue and Customs not recording national insurance contributions.

Dawn Primarolo: National Insurance records are updated annually when HMRC processes employers' returns. Any apparent shortfall in the final relevant year is followed-up by DWP with employers.
	All people reaching pension age will receive a Retirement Pension pack from DWP four months prior to reaching their pension age. This pack includes a State Pension forecast detailing the amounts of State Pension they will receive based on the amount of National Insurance Contributions recorded. If the amount shown in the State Pension forecast is not what an individual expects, DWP's Pension Forecasting Team will advise the customer to contact HM Revenue and Customs who will check and, where appropriate, update the National Insurance record to ensure that the correct State Pension is paid. Relatively few people are affected in this way.

Olympics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account the Office for National Statistics has taken in its analysis of the public sector net debt of the guarantees given to the International Olympic Committee to underwrite the Olympic Games.

John Healey: Under reforms to the public spending framework introduced in 2000 the UK Government are one of the few in the world that has a statutory obligation to report liabilities in the same way as private companies, and whose accounts are subject to independent audit.
	Contingent liabilities, such as those referred to in the question, are reported in departmental accounts on the same basis as UKGAAP, as well as to Parliament. They are defined as being contingent on an event, or a set of events, whose likelihood of occurring has been accepted by independent auditors as being remote. They are not, by their definition, actual liabilities, and so it would not be right to include them in measures of public sector net debt.

Population Statistics (Hartlepool)

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many girls under the age of 16 years in Hartlepool constituency gave birth in each year since 1990.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 May 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question about how many girls in Hartlepool constituency under the age of 16 years gave birth in each year since 1990. I am replying in her absence. (72602)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2005. The table below shows the requested figures for the years 1990 to 2005 In order to protect confidentiality, counts of less than five have been suppressed.
	
		
			  Live births under age 16 Hartlepool constituency 1990-2005 
			   Number 
			 1990 5 
			 1991 6 
			 1992 6 
			 1993 7 
			 1994 (1)— 
			 1995 7 
			 1996 9 
			 1997 5 
			 1998 8 
			 1999 8 
			 2000 10 
			 2001 6 
			 2002 (1)— 
			 2003 5 
			 2004 (1)— 
			 2005 (1)— 
			 (1 )Counts of less than five.

Registered Electors

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many electors there were in each ward in Wrexham in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 22 May 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the number of electors in each ward in Wrexham in each of the last 10 years. I am replying in her absence. (72670)
	The latest available Welsh ward electorate counts are for December 2005. The electorate counts for the last available 10 years (1996 to 2005) are shown in the attached tables. Table 1 shows wards within the Parliamentary Constituency of Wrexham. Table 2, shows wards for the local authority of Wrexham, including those for the Parliamentary Constituency of Wrexham (as included in Table 1).
	
		
			  Table 1: Parliamentary electors for Wrexham constituency 1996-2005 
			  Ward name  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Acton 2,543 2,520 2,486 2,461 2,385 2,360 2,334 2,249 2,172 2,259 
			 Borras Park 2,136 2,155 2,180 2,187 2,167 2,104 2,114 2,063 2,076 2,075 
			 Brynffynnon(1) — — — — 1,998 2,121 2,122 1,952 1,779 1,669 
			 Caia Park(2) 4,241 3,944 3,911 3,813 — — — — — — 
			 Cartrefle(2,3) — — — — 1,691 1,580 1,630 1,583 1,483 1,550 
			 Erddig(4) — — — — 1,786 1,726 1,704 1,627 1,581 1,559 
			 Garden Village 1,662 1,654 1,670 1,688 1,693 1,691 1,696 1,682 1,676 1,670 
			 Gresford East and West 2,344 2,321 2,336 2,360 2,365 2,286 2,302 2,255 2,202 2,188 
			 Grosvenor 1,666 1,835 1,799 1,799 1,727 1,810 1,861 1,708 1,629 2,016 
			 Gwersyllt East and South 3,040 3,032 3,023 3,034 3,046 3,187 3,201 3,158 3,107 3,183 
			 Gwersyllt North 1,895 1,896 1,910 1,902 1,868 1,707 1,740 1,725 1,691 1,797 
			 Gwersyllt West 2,267 2,257 2,270 2,302 2,296 2,258 2,240 2,218 2,124 2,192 
			 Hermitage(4) — — — — 1,826 1,778 1,757 1,669 1,608 1,663 
			 Holt 1,740 1,791 1,838 1,911 1,992 2,345 2,614 2,685 2,732 2,544 
			 Little Acton 1,938 1,976 1,934 1,856 1,894 1,846 1,865 1,850 1,833 1,845 
			 Llay 3,635 3,608 3,585 3,592 3,633 3,644 3,623 3,582 3,500 3,542 
			 Maesydre 1,619 1,589 1,602 1,599 1,573 1,545 1,531 1,514 1,448 1,478 
			 Marford and Hoseley 1,747 1,752 1,776 1,799 1,776 1,824 1,864 1,839 1,843 1,849 
			 Offa(1, 4) — — — — 1,790 1,668 1,692 1,596 1,547 1,599 
			 Offa East(4) 4,387 4,420 4,452 4,449 — — — — — — 
			 Offa West(1) 2,826 2,797 2,876 2,883 — — — — — — 
			 Queensway(3) 3,447 3,399 3,348 3,324 1,713 1,564 1,546 1,424 1,244 1,375 
			 Rhosnesni 2,298 2,340 2,384 2,382 2,410 2,325 2,314 2,292 2,262 2,217 
			 Rossett 2,320 2,346 2,438 2,493 2,556 2,495 2,460 2,420 2,376 2,443 
			 Smithfield(2, 3, 5) — — — — 1,748 1,683 1,667 1,541 1,484 1,549 
			 Stansty 1,842 1,826 1,801 1,789 1,794 1,724 1,699 1,654 1,628 1,671 
			 Whitegate(3,5) 1,529 1,548 1,565 1,581 1,955 1,927 1,961 2,019 2,110 2,302 
			 Wynnstay(2) — — — — 1,363 1,338 1,353 1,275 1,112 1,188 
			 Total 51,122 51,006 51,184 51,204 51,045 50,536 50,890 49,5880 48,247 49,423 
			 The following changes took effect on 6 May 1999: (1) Part of Offa West formed Brynffynnon and part merged to form Offa. (2) Part of Caia Park merged to form Cartrefle, part merged to form Smithfield and the rest formed Wynnstay. (3) Part of Queensway merged to form Cartrefle, part merged to form Smithfield and part merged with Whitegate. (4) Part of Offa East formed Erddig, part formed Hermitage and part merged to form Offa. (5) Part of Whitegate merged to form Smithfield.  Notes: 1. Data for years up to and including 2000 relate to 16 February, data for 2001 and subsequent years relate to 1 December. 2. Parliamentary electors are those people who are entitled to vote in parliamentary elections at Westminster and who meet the residence qualification. These include overseas voters but exclude Peers and European citizens.  Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Parliamentary electors for Wrexham unitary authority 1996-2005 
			  Ward name  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Acton 2,543 2,520 2,486 2,461 2,385 2,360 2,334 2,249 2,172 2,259 
			 Borras Park 2,136 2,155 2,180 2,187 2,167 2,104 2,114 2,063 2,076 2,075 
			 Bronington 2,345 2,358 2,384 2,427 2,452 2,441 2,469 2,436 2,407 2,431 
			 Brymbo 2,055 2,059 2,042 2,070 2,025 2,011 2,019 1,987 1,997 2,026 
			 Brynffynnon(1) — — — — 1,998 2,121 2,122 1,952 1,779 1,669 
			 Bryn Cefn 1,456 1,471 1,489 1,480 1,469 1,468 1,477 1,456 1,415 1,431 
			 Caia Park(2) 4,241 3,944 3,911 3,813 — — — — — — 
			 Cartrefle(2,3) — — — — 1,691 1,580 1,630 1,583 1,483 1,550 
			 Cefn 3,790 3,799 3,745 3,729 3,705 3,540 3,614 3,626 3,487 3,579 
			 Ceiriog Ganol/Ceiriog Ucha(4) 1,687 1,657 1,679 1,711 — — — — — — 
			 Dyffryn Ceiriog/Ceiriog Valley(4) — — — — 1,724 1,700 1,740 1,740 1,692 1,672 
			 Chirk North 1,775 1,794 1,822 1,874 1,874 1,888 1,867 1,855 1,844 1,835 
			 Chirk South 1,379 1,377 1,399 1,386 1,420 1,411 1,405 1,390 1,408 1,457 
			 Coedpoeth 3,645 3,620 3,618 3,661 3,652 3,581 3,575 3,511 3,451 3,453 
			 Erddig(5) — — — — 1,786 1,726 1,704 1,627 1,581 1,559 
			 Esclusham(6) 2,471 2,469 2,435 2,495 2,049 2,022 2,000 1,952 1,925 1,928 
			 Garden Village 1,662 1,654 1,670 1,688 1,693 1,691 1,696 1,682 1,676 1,670 
			 Gresford East and West 2,344 2,321 2,336 2,360 2,365 2,286 2,302 2,255 2,202 2,188 
			 Grosvenor 1,666 1,835 1,799 1,799 1,727 1,810 1,861 1,708 1,629 2,016 
			 Gwenfro 1,320 1,303 1,287 1,284 1,263 1,234 1,239 1,217 1,181 1,180 
			 Gwersyllt East and South 3,040 3,032 3,023 3,034 3,046 3,187 3,201 3,158 3,107 3,183 
			 Gwersyllt North 1,895 1,896 1,910 1,902 1,868 1,707 1,740 1,725 1,691 1,797 
			 Gwersyllt West 2,267 2,257 2,270 2,302 2,296 2,258 2,240 2,218 2,124 2,192 
			 Hermitage(5) — — — — 1,826 1,778 1,757 1,669 1,608 1,663 
			 Holt 1,740 1,791 1,838 1,911 1,992 2,345 2,614 2,6b5 2,732 2,544 
			 Johnstown 2,386 2,402 2,389 2,495 2,584 2,525 2,521 2,490 2,424 2,466 
			 Little Acton 1,938 1,976 1,934 1,856 1,894 1,846 1,865 1,850 1,833 1,845 
			 Llangollen Rural(7) — — 1,479 1,445 1,471 1,449 1,527 1,481 1,459 1,454 
			 Llay 3,635 3,608 3,585 3,592 3,633 3,644 3,623 3,582 3,500 3,542 
			 Maesydre 1,619 1,589 1,602 1,599 1,573 1,545 1,531 1,514 1,448 1,478 
			 Marchwiel 1,799 1,794 1,807 1,801 1,851 1,860 1,870 1,828 1,814 1,846 
			 Marford and Hoseley 1,747 1,752 1,776 1,799 1,776 1,824 1,864 1,839 1,843 1,849 
			 Minera 1,861 1,895 1,921 1,942 1,928 1,917 1,923 1,904 1,893 1,882 
			 New Broughton 2,246 2,233 2,273 2,342 2,501 2,463 2,474 2,410 2,383 2,495 
			 Offa(1, 5) — — — — 1,790 1,668 1,692 1,506 1,547 1,599 
			 Offa East(5) 4,387 4,420 4,452 4,449 — — — — — — 
			 Offa West(1) 2,826 2,797 2,876 2,883 — — — — — — 
			 Overton 2,144 2,185 2,242 2,287 2,343 2,316 2,344 2,318 2,338 2,373 
			 Pant 1,740 1,724 1,727 1,718 1,672 1,649 1,642 1,556 1,473 1,515 
			 Penycae(8) 2,622 2,582 2,570 2,540 1,590 1,563 1,580 1,543 1,428 1,546 
			 Penycae and Ruabon South(8) — — — — 1,809 1,799 1,812 1,85 1,781 1,807 
			 Plas Madoc 1,511 1,453 1,424 1,326 1,242 1,217 1,180 1,114 1,015 1,176 
			 Ponciau(6) 3,174 3,218 3,200 3,174 3,678 3,566 3,531 3,482 3,416 3,469 
			 Queensway(3) 3,447 3,399 3,348 3,324 1,713 1,564 1,546 1,424 1,244 1,375 
			 Rhosnesni 2,298 2,340 2,384 2,382 2,410 2,325 2,314 2,202 2,262 2,217 
			 Rossett 2,320 2,346 2,438 2,493 2,556 2,495 2,460 2,420 2,376 2,443 
			 Ruabon(8) 2,636 2,618 2,684 2,668 1,730 1,846 1,873 1,820 1,776 1,877 
			 Smithfield(2,3,9) — — — — 1,748 1,683 1,667 1,541 1,484 1,549 
			 Stansty 1,842 1,826 1,801 1,789 1,794 1,724 1,699 1,654 1,628 1,671 
			 Whitegate(3,9) 1,529 1,548 1,565 1,581 1,955 1,927 1,961 2,019 2,110 2,302 
			 Wynnstay(2) — — — — 1,363 1,338 1,353 1,275 1,112 1,188 
			 Total 95,164 95,017 96,800 97,059 97,077 96,002 96,572 94,521 92,254 94,321 
			 Unless otherwise stated the following changes took effect on 6 May 1999: (1) Part of Offa West formed Brynffynnon and part merged to form Offa. (2) Part of Caia Park merged to form Cartrefle, part merged to form Smithfield and the rest formed Wynnstay. (3) Part of Queensway merged to form Cartrefle, part merged to form Smithfield and part merged with Whitegate. (4) Ceiriog Ganol/Ceiriog Ucha was renamed as Dyffryn Ceiriog/Ceiriog Valley. (5) Part of Offa East formed Erddig, part formed Hermitage and part merged to form Offa. (6) Part of Esclusham merged with Ponciau. (7) Wrexham unitary authority boundary was extended to include part of Llangollen Rural, formerly in Denbighshire unitary authority on1 April 1997. (8) Part of Penycae merged with part of Ruabon to form Penycae and Ruabon South.  (9) Part of Whitegate merged to form Smithfield.  Notes: 1. Data for years up to and including 2000 relate to 16 February, data for 2001 and subsequent years relate to 1 December.  2. Parliamentary electors are those people who are entitled to vote in parliamentary elections at Westminster and who meet the residence qualification. These include overseas voters but exclude Peers and European citizens.  Source: Office for National Statistics

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants have been informed that they were required to repay overpayments in each year since its introduction; how much has been overpaid in total; and how much has been repaid in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of 2003-04 awards that were overpaid as at April 2004 is shown in the HMRC publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised annual awards 2003-04. Supplement on payments in 2003-04". This can be found on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	The number of 2004-05 awards with overpayments as at April 2005 will be published on 31 May 2006.
	Where a family has been overpaid, HMRC will recover the overpayment as explained in code of practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" available on our website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.htm.
	The total amount that was overpaid in 2003-04 and how much of this was recovered in 2004-05 are shown in part two of the "Comptroller and Auditor General's Standard Report on the Accounts of the Inland Revenue 2004-05". This can be found on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/annual_reps.htm
	Information on the amounts recovered during 2005-06 will not be available until the accounts for 2005-06 have been finalised.

Tax Credits

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend Table 3 on page 30 of Tax credits: reforming financial support for families (March 2005) so as to show marginal deduction rates of over 50 per cent. and over 40 per cent.  (a) before 1998,  (b) in 2005-06 and  (c) in 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table is an extension of table 4.3 in Tax credits: reforming financial support for families (March 2005).
	
		
			  Marginal deduction rate (Percentage)  Before budget 1998  2005-06 system of tax and benefits  2006-07 system of tax and benefits 
			 Over 100 5,000 0 0 
			 Over 90 130,000 30,000 35,000 
			 Over 80 300,000 160,000 170,000 
			 Over 70 740,000 225,000 240,000 
			 Over 60 760,000 1,720,000 1,730,000 
			 Over 50 760,000 1,875,000 1,890,000 
			 Over 40 800,000 2,065,000 2,085,000 
		
	
	Figures for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 system of taxes and benefits are consistent with the analysis presented in Table 4.2 of the 2005 pre Budget report and 2006 Budget report separately.
	Figures are cumulative. This table shows marginal deduction rates for heads of working households in receipt of income related benefits or tax credits, where at least one person works 16 hours or more a week, where the head of the household is not disabled, and where higher earnings would lead to reduced benefits or tax credits. They include the marginal effects of income tax and national insurance contributions, and the withdrawal of tax credits, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	This analysis does not take into account the way in which tax credits respond to rises in income. Since April 2006, tax credits only respond to rises in income in the current year of more than £25,000, disregarding the first £25,000 of any rise. This means that recipients will not see their tax credits reduced as soon as their income rises, so reducing the effective marginal deduction in any one year.
	As a result of the Government's reforms, around half a million fewer low-income households now face marginal deduction rates in excess of 70 per cent. than did so in April 1998. The increase in the number of households facing marginal deduction rates of between 40 and 70 per cent. is primarily due to the introduction of tax credits, and more recently the extension of support to workers aged 25 or over without children.

Teenage Pregnancies

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies there have been in each year since 2000, broken down by ethnic group.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many teenage pregnancies there were in each year since 2000, broken down by ethnic group. (71225)
	Available figures are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.
	Number of teenage conceptions in England and Wales from 2000 to 2004 (the most recent year for which figures are available), are shown in the table. Figures for 2004 are provisional. Information by ethnic group is not available.
	
		
			  Teenage conceptions, England and Wales, 2000-2004 
			   Number 
			 2000 41,349 
			 2001 40,990 
			 2002 41,951 
			 2003 42,162 
			 2004(1) 42,150 
			  Source:  Provisional.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency's council tax Automated Valuation Model uses  (a) a location factor or factors in its multiple regression analysis and  (b) geo-spatial statistical analysis in computer assisted mass appraisal.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Valuation Office Agency's (VGA) automated valuation model (AVM) uses  (a) location factors in its multiple regression analysis and  (b) an element of geo-spatial statistical analysis. The extent of the latter is limited to the use of National Land and Property Gazeteer (NLPG) 'X-Y Co-ordinates' for precise location information. No other form of geo-spatial statistical analysis is used.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what geographical information system data the Valuation Office Agency's council tax automated valuation model uses.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) does not have a geographical information system (GIS). The only geographical information used within the VGA's automated valuation model (AVM) is the National Land and Property Gazeteer (NLPG) 'X-Y Co-ordinate' information, which indicates the precise location of a dwelling.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what domestic dwelling data the Valuation Office Agency has  (a) purchased and  (b) intends to purchase from Rightmove; and what the value of the contract is.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Valuation Office Agency (VOA), through its parent department, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, has a contract with Rightmove.co.uk plc (Rightmove) for a term of 34 months from 1 June 2005, with an option to extend for a further 12 months. The contract gives the VOA rights to use property records within Rightmove's current and historic database of dwellings that are, or have been, on the property market for sale.
	Any future intentions, and the value of the contract, cannot be released into the public domain, as this would prejudice the commercial interests of both the VOA and Rightmove.co.uk plc.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether the Valuation Office Agency's council tax automated valuation model  (a) uses and  (b) holds data (i) from the Index of Multiple Deprivation and(ii) on the number of criminal offences committed in an area;
	(2)  whether the Valuation Office Agency's council tax automated valuation model  (a) uses and  (b) holds local authority ward boundaries data.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Valuation Office Agency's (VGA's) automated valuation model (AVM) neither  (a) uses nor  (b) holds local authority ward boundary data.

Office for Government Commerce

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance the Office for Government Commerce issues to local authorities on contract compliance.

Phil Woolas: I have asked to reply.
	Section 17 of the Local Government Act 1988 prevents authorities from introducing "non-commercial" considerations, such as the political affiliations of contractors, into the procurement process.
	There is a range of advice and guidance on good procurement which local authorities can draw on. Sources include the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), the Public Private, Partnership Programme (the 4ps) and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA). Specific guidance on local government procurement includes the joint ODPM/ Local Government Association 'National Procurement Strategy for Local Government'. This makes clearthat council requirements can also include social, environmental and other strategic objectives that are relevant to the subject of the contract.

Agricultural Trade Liberalisation

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the European Commissioner for Trade about his recent comments on agricultural trade liberalisation; and what assessment he has made of the possible effect those comments will have on the World Trade Organisation trade talks.

Ian McCartney: I have not had the opportunity to make representations to the European Commissioner for Trade since my appointment as Minister for Trade, or to discuss his recent comments on the Doha Development Agenda negotiations. However, my predecessors in this post had regular contact with the Commissioner for Trade on a wide range of issues.
	The UK remains strongly committed to ensuring an ambitious and pro-development outcome to the Doha Round that provides real benefits to developing countries and an overall stimulus to world trade, in line with the mandate agreed in 2001. In agriculture, this means agreeing to significant reductions in trade-distorting domestic support, elimination of export subsidies, and significant liberalisation of trade. We have made clear our view that achieving this requires movement from all the main parties, across the whole breadth of the negotiations—including, but not limited to, agriculture. We will continue to press all key parties, in the EU and beyond, to show sufficient flexibility in all areas of the DDA negotiations to secure a successful outcome.

British Gas

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much natural gas was produced by the British Gas Corporation in each year of its existence.

Malcolm Wicks: The British Gas Corporation (BGC) existed from 1973 to 1986. During this period BGC had various gas production interests, as an operator or through an interest in production licences in the Rough, Morecambe South and Indefatigable fields; the extent of the interests varied between the different fields and through time. Full details are not readily available from the Department of Energy 'Brown Books' but the total production from these fields was:
	
		
			  Production (million cubic metres 
			   Rough  Morecambe South  Indefatigable  Total 
			 1973 — — 4,557 4,557 
			 1974 — — 5,545 5,545 
			 1975 10 — 6,249 6,259 
			 1976 512 — 6,355 6,867 
			 1977 1,063 — 6,779 7,842 
			 1978 931 — 6,450 7,381 
			 1979 1,005 — 6,006 7,011 
			 1980 467 — 6,878 7,345 
			 1981 99 — 5,613 5,712 
			 1982 101 — 5,720 5,821 
			 1983 27 — 4,700 4,727 
			 1984 55 — 5,590 5,645 
			 1985 92 90 5,323 5,505 
			 1986 7 604 6,186 6,797

Crematoriums

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what schemes his Department is promoting to encourage crematoriums to increase their energy efficiency by recycling energy and heat generated.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no scheme specific to crematoria, however Government provides funding to the Carbon Trust, a private company that takes the lead on business and public sector energy efficiency and encourages the development of a low carbon sector in the UK. It also provides advice to businesses on how to become more energy efficient.

Export Credits Guarantee Department Staff

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were employed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each of the last eight years.

Ian McCartney: The figures are:
	
		
			  Financial year  Staff 
			 1998-99 371 
			 1999-2000 361 
			 2000-01 380 
			 2001-02 373 
			 2002-03 379 
			 2003-04 366 
			 2004-05 327 
			 2005-06 (1)304 
			 (1 )Accounts not yet published; subject to audit Source: Export Credits Guarantee Department's Annual Review and Resource Accounts

Energy Provision

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of decommissioning  (a) nuclear,  (b) oil,  (c) gas,  (d) coal and  (e) renewables generating installations and platforms in each of the past 30 years; and what projections have been made for the next 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: De-commissioning costs are a commercial matter for the companies concerned. However, figures do exist for the following:
	 Nuclear Generators
	British Nuclear Fuels' annual report and accounts state that decommissioning expenditure charged against provisions since financial year 1993-94 was as follows:
	
		
			   Decommissioning expenditure (£ million) 
			 2005 256 
			 2004 177 
			 2003 145 
			 2002 92 
			 2001 82 
			 2000 76 
			 1999 80 
			 1998 10 
			 1997 l 
			 1996 l 
			 1995 l 
			 1994 7 
		
	
	Prior to this date no decommissioning expenditure charged against provisions was disclosed in BNFL's annual report and accounts.
	Between 1994-95 and 2000-01 the cost of decommissioning UKAEA's nuclear power plants amounted to £119.3 million.
	Over the period 2006-07 to 2015-16 inclusive, total decommissioning costs of Generating Magnox Stations are:
	
		
			  Generating Magnox station  Decommissioning costs (£ million) 
			 Berkeley 149.8 
			 Bradwell 362.2 
			 Calder Hall 182.7 
			 Chapelcross 325.8 
			 Dungeness A 355.4 
			 Hinkley Point A 388.6 
			 Hunterston A 359.1 
			 Oldbury 371.2 
			 Sizewell A 309.2 
			 Trawsfynydd 227.6 
			 Wylfa 253.6 
			 Total 3,285.1 
		
	
	 Oil and Gas Installations (including pipelines and wells)
	The DTI-UKOOA Activity Survey conducted in autumn 2005 indicates gross (pre-tax) annual spend on decommissioning costs related to offshore oil andgas production activities as follows. All figures are in£ billion in constant 2005 prices.
	
		
			   Gross pre-tax annual spend (£ billion) 
			 2016 0.5 
			 2015 0.7 
			 2014 0.9 
			 2013 0.4 
			 2012 0.4 
			 2011 0.4 
			 2010 0.4 
			 2009 0.2 
			 2008 0.2 
			 2007 0.2 
			 2006 0.1 
			 2005 0.1 
			 2004 0.1 
			 2003 0.1 
		
	
	The actual extent of decommissioning costs and the timing of decommissioning of individual fields is inherently uncertain and these figures can at best be only broadly indicative.
	 Renewables Generators
	For offshore renewables I understand that no decommissioning of major, commercial-scale installations is expected in the next 10 years, so costs would be limited to any decommissioning of small-scale demonstration devices that takes place.
	For onshore wind farms, we do include for decommissioning in our consents. This currently works out at between £3,500 and £5,000 per turbine depending on the status of the land.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) vibration white finger and  (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims he expects to be settled in (i) 2006 and (ii) each of the following three years.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of claims we expect to settle in each year from 2006 onward is as follows:
	
		
			   Vibration white finger  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 
			 2006 22,500 135,932 
			 2007 16,000 81,650 
			 2008 3,500 43,988 
			 2009 (1)— 10,912 
			 (1 )All VWF claims are expected to have been settled before the end of 2008. 
		
	
	This is our projection based on current plans which may be subject to change.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the  (a) legal and  (b) other costs incurred since 1999 in defending claims for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for surface workers.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department estimates that approximately £160,000 has spent on legal costs and £150,000 on other costs in relation to claims for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and surface workers.

Miners' Compensation

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with Capita about the way they handle witness statements supporting vibration white finger Group 3 claims.

Malcolm Wicks: Witness statements are an important and essential part of the verification of Group 3 claims, which Capita consider before making a decision on liability. Capita will seek to arrange a telephone interview with the witness as a means of clarification or to discuss any apparent inconsistencies in the statements made by the claimant and his witness. These interviews are recorded for quality monitoring purposes and claimant's solicitors receive a copy of the interview if so requested. DTI Officials continue to review progress with Capita to ensure they are carried out professionally.

Northwest Regional Development Agency

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs the Northwest Regional Development Agency has created in each  (a) district and borough council area and  (b) sector of the economy in Lancashire in the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The number of jobs created by the Northwest Regional Development Agency in each district and borough council in Lancashire is as follows:
	
		
			  Jobs created 
			  District  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 129 420 333 
			 Blackpool 15 20 29 
			 Burnley 13 136 59 
			 Hyndburn 19 3 3 
			 Lancaster 100 35 11 
			 Pendle 167 292 41 
			 Preston 41 117 0 
			 Kibble Valley 2 17 18 
			 Rossendale 16 17 59 
			 South Ribble 0 40 0 
			 West Lancashire 10 29 87 
			 Wyre 12 10 12 
			 Grand total 523 1,135 652 
		
	
	The agency does not organise its output information by sector. Output figures by district/borough council are only available from 2003-04, as records were not kept prior to that.

Post Offices

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices have been closed in  (a) Taunton constituency,  (b) Somerset and  (c) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I understand from Post Office Ltd. that Information on the post office branch networkhas historically only been held at a national level. More recently records have been maintained at a Government office region and at parliamentary constituency level and this level of data commenced from the end of 2001-02.
	The number of post offices in the constituencies that cover Taunton constituency is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of post office branches 
			  Taunton constituency  Number 
			  2001-02 41 
			  2002-03 41 
			  2003-04 40 
			  2004-05 36 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of post office branches 
			  Somerset constituency  Number 
			  2001-02 218 
			  2002-03 215 
			  2003-04 205 
			  2004-05 195 
		
	
	Information for the network of branches for the whole of the UK is available for each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of post office branches 
			 1997 19,251 
			 1998 19,008 
			 1999 18,775 
			 2000 18,393 
			 2001 17,846 
			 2002 17,584 
			 2003 17,239 
			 2004 15,961 
			 2005 14,609

Power Lines

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) adults and  (b) children were (i) killed and (ii) injured as a result of coming into contact with high voltage power lines in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: For reporting years 2000-05 the figures are as follows:
	
		
			  Reporting year  Adult fatalities  Adults injured  Child fatalities  Children injured 
			 2000-01 7 28 0 0 
			 2001-02 3 42 0 3 
			 2002-03 1 30 0 1 
			 2003-04 2 24 0 2 
			 2004-05 5 27 0 1 
			 Total 18 151 0 7

Regional Development Agencies

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) total budget and  (b) administrative costs of the regional development agencies were in each region in each year since their creation; and what the projected costs are for 2006-07.

Margaret Hodge: The following tables show the regional development agencies' budgets and administration costs for the financial years 1999-2000 to 2005-06 and indicative budgets and estimated administration costs for 2006-07.
	
		
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			   Budget( 1)  (£ million)  Administration  (£000)  Budget  (£ million)  Administration  (£000)  Budget  (£ million)  Administration  (£000) 
			 Advantage West Midlands 103 7,421 113 8,352 141 8,793 
			 East of England Development Agency 30 4,570 36 4,849 55 5,836 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 41 6,941 67 7,377 86 7,488 
			 London Development Agency — — 235 6,009 266 9,470 
			 North West Development Agency 141 11,837 156 13,876 270 14,044 
			 One North East 92 9,585 98 10,513 158 10,103 
			 South East England Development Agency 63 5,196 73 6,343 97 6,643 
			 South West Development Agency 43 7,255 62 8,380 85 9,099 
			 Yorkshire Forward 121 7,795 125 8,284 207 9,989 
		
	
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			   Budget  (£ million)  Administration  (£000)  Budget  (£ million)  Administration  (£000)  Budget  (£ million)  Administration  (£000) 
			 Advantage West Midlands 204 13,862 240 17,300 217 18,500 
			 East of England Development Agency 88 9,000 80 9,000 84 10,000 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 101 10,200 117 12,000 119 13,668 
			 London Development Agency 295 17,000 317 17,000 328 30,400 
			 North West Development Agency 274 21,619 309 29,925 367 32,449 
			 One North East 193 18,372 223 21,258 227 21,773 
			 South East England Development Agency 112 14.303 136 16,395 110 16,868 
			 South West Development Agency 103 14,242 99 16,044 113 15,944 
			 Yorkshire Forward 211 16,608 244 17,482 288 17,351 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-05  2006-07 
			   Budget  (£ million)  Administration  (£000)  Budget  (£ million)  Administration  (£000) 
			 Advantage West Midlands 272 20,000 284 20,000 
			 East of England Development Agency 129 11,200 134 10,900 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 156 15,000 163 16,000 
			 London Development Agency 373 29,500 391 (2) n/a 
			 North West Development Agency 382 38,792 400 38,144 
			 One North East 240 22,500 251 22,607 
			 South East England Development Agency 157 18,000 163 17,900 
			 South West Development Agency 153 19,773 159 21,222 
			 Yorkshire Forward 295 19,510 310 19,290 
			 (1) The expenditure figures are net of receipts that RDA's recycle (2) The London Development Agencies Administration Budget is subject to the approval of their draft 2006-07 Corporate Plan by the Mayor

Renewable Energy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grants are available to domestic households to install micro-generation renewable energy equipment.

Malcolm Wicks: Grants for the installation of microgeneration technologies are available to householders through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP). This programme takes over from the Clear Skies and Major photovoltaics programmes, which finished in March 2006. The LCBP initially had £30 million to allocate—£1.5 million was used to ease the transition from the previous programmes and the remaining £28.5 million is dedicated to projects proposed by householders, communities and businesses. Further information can be found at www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk.
	The Chancellor announced a further £50 million for the LCBP in Budget. This additional funding will be used for projects in the public sector.

Reviews (Agencies/Bodies)

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which  (a) non-departmental public bodies and  (b) executive agencies for which he is responsible have been subject to a peer review in 2005-06; what the (i) purpose, (ii) terms of reference and (iii) outcome was of each review; and what reference to the outcome of the review has been made when making funding decisions for those organisations.

Alistair Darling: The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) had a peer review in 2005-06. Its purpose was to ensure that the EOC is fit for purpose and able to carry out agreed objectives during the period up to October 2007 when it is due to be merged into the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.
	The terms of reference of the review were as follows:
	Ensuring that the EOC is deploying the resources at its disposal most effectively for its purpose and able to deliver agreed objectives and priorities in the period leading up to the creation of the CEHR in 2007.
	The operation of the management agreement and the financial memorandum agreed between the DTI and the EOC in November 2004 and the need for any revisions to reflect fully the interests of the Minister for Women.
	Assessing competing priorities in terms of organisational capacity.
	The review has now been successfully completed and the EOC are pursuing a number of recommendations.
	There were no other peer reviews of DTI sponsored bodies or agencies in 2005-06.

Severn Barrage

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the likely cost of a Severn barrage energy generation scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: Between 1978 and 1994 the Government supported the most comprehensive programme of research and development on tidal energy in the world at an overall cost in excess of£20 million. These studies considered schemes tidal energy at a number of potential sites, the largest being in the Severn estuary.
	The results of the Severn Barrage study were reported in Energy Paper 57 (ISBN 0 11 412952 5). In an assessment of the Government Tidal Programme published in 1994 (ETSU R-82) the capital cost of the Severn scheme was estimated to be £11.2 billion.
	The most recent study of the Severn scheme carried out by the Severn Tidal Power Group and publishedin 2003 (available at www.dti.gov.uk/files/file15363.pdf?pubpdfdload=02%2F644) estimated the cost to be in the range of £10.3 to £14 billion(2001 prices).

Sunday Trading

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations his Department has received from the lobby group Deregulate on further liberalisation of current Sunday trading laws.

Ian McCartney: From 13 January to 14 April, we asked for views on all aspects of relaxing restrictions on Sunday shopping hours, saying that responses could be provided in confidence. Deregulate responded to our review, asking that their submission be kept confidential. We intend to publish a summary of all the views expressed on our website (www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/buying-selling/Sunday%20Shopping), within 3 months of the close of the consultation.

Telephone Cold-calling

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to tackle telephone cold-calling from companies located outside the EU.

Margaret Hodge: The Department introduced the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) scheme in 1999, under the Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations, which were updated by Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations in 2003. The TPS scheme provides protection to consumers from cold-calling if they have previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls or have been registered with the TPS for at least 28 days. Those making cold calls from within the UK or on behalf of UK companies from outside the European Union are legally required not to call a number that has registered on the TPS list. However, cold calls from non-UK companies marketing a service or product are not covered by the TSP scheme, as the companies and products have no link with the UK. The Information Commissioner has responsibility for the enforcement of the TPS scheme and considers complaints about breaches.

Trade Statistics

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of UK trade was with  (a) European Monetary Union countries and (b) the rest of the world in each year since 1991.

Ian McCartney: In response to part  (a) the following table shows UK trade (exports and imports) in goods and services with economic monetary union countries since 1991.
	
		
			  UK trade in goods and services with the EU12 
			  £ million 
			  Country  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997 
			  UK exports
			 Austria 930 995 1,156 1,317 1,446 1,612 1,453 
			 Belgium and Luxembourg 6,649 6,594 8,170 8,507 9,748 10,013 10,086 
			 Finland 1,015 1,275 1,424 1,644 2,100 2,371 2,107 
			 France 13,605 13,718 14,751 16,398 18,290 20,403 20,068 
			 Germany 17,077 18,316 19,674 21,263 24,587 25,217 25,326 
			 Greece 994 1,140 1,322 1,380 1,555 1,680 1,658 
			 Ireland 6,074 6,808 7,552 8,685 9,750 10,879 11,646 
			 Italy 7,232 7,497 7,537 8,416 9,567 9,941 10,247 
			 Netherlands 9,215 9,972 9,804 11,490 14,444 15,914 16,738 
			 Portugal 1,238 1,433 1,671 1,588 1,820 2,049 2,067 
			 Spain 5,078 5,441 5,538 6,252 7,336 8,166 8,120 
			 EU12 total 69,107 73,189 78,599 86,940 100,643 108,245 109,516 
		
	
	
		
			  Country  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  UK exports
			 Austria 1,529 1,549 1,532 1,601 1,655 1,646 1,481 
			 Belgium and Luxembourg 10,362 11,476 12,676 12,146 13,073 14,172 13,774 
			 Finland 1,961 2,002 2,414 2,459 2,246 2,325 2,300 
			 France 20,583 21,552 23,869 24,978 24,332 24,411 24,250 
			 Germany 25,719 25,907 29,226 30,367 28,969 27,783 28,465 
			 Greece 1,718 1,929 2,044 1,879 1,918 1,991 2,061 
			 Ireland 12,122 13,272 15,110 17,289 19,533 17,151 19,161 
			 Italy 10,939 10,506 11,038 11,128 11,313 11,375 11,382 
			 Netherlands 16,158 17,623 19,565 19,206 18,374 18,468 17,721 
			 Portugal 2,165 2,275 2,079 2,025 2,009 1,951 2,149 
			 Spain 8,920 9,576 10,513 10,534 11,004 11,683 11,763 
			 EU12 total 112,176 117,667 130,066 133,612 134,426 132,956 134,507 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Country  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997 
			  UK imports
			 Austria 1,191 1,234 1,328 1,405 1,306 1,530 1,736 
			 Belgium and Luxembourg 6,027 6,312 7,488 7,867 9,201 10,216 10,628 
			 Finland 1,595 1,744 2,009 2,423 2,651 2,883 2,729 
			 France 13,434 14,988 16,748 18,732 20,401 21,128 22,738 
			 Germany 20,197 21,570 22,942 25,251 29,693 31,546 29,049 
			 Greece 1,148 1,241 1,247 1,438 1,470 1,313 1,341 
			 Ireland 4,868 5,679 6,285 6,859 8,139 8,879 9,031 
			 Italy 7,031 7,508 7,650 8,709 9,498 10,739 11,493 
			 Netherlands 10,862 10,966 10,373 11,747 13,260 14,361 14,155 
			 Portugal 1,465 1,671 1,779 1,852 2,123 2,443 2,591 
			 Spain 4,556 5,121 5,892 6,814 7,889 9,283 9,638 
			 EU12 total 72,374 78,034 83,741 93,097 105,631 114,321 115,129 
		
	
	
		
			  Country  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  UK imports
			 Austria 1,864 1,898 1,877 2,389 3,074 3,414 3,029 
			 Belgium and Luxembourg 11,153 11,754 12,477 13,830 15,063 15,147 15,545 
			 Finland 2,545 2,669 3,167 3,323 3,067 2,970 2,613 
			 France 23,645 25,034 26,112 27,594 28,578 28,531 28,238 
			 Germany 28,763 31,385 32,965 34,888 37,502 38,724 40,438 
			 Greece 1,412 1,823 2,058 2,354 2,436 2,590 2,599 
			 Ireland 9,545 10,816 12,469 14,420 15,404 12,381 12,700 
			 Italy 12,054 11,965 12,327 12,815 13,759 14,812 15,527 
			 Netherlands 15,446 16,121 18,315 18,427 19,364 20,128 21,091 
			 Portugal 2,614 2,825 2,753 2,733 2,956 3,313 3,325 
			 Spain 10,935 11,881 12,616 14,540 16,969 18,106 18,085 
			 EU12 total 119,976 128,171 137,136 147,313 158,172 160,116 163,190 
		
	
	In respect of part  (b) UK trade with the world since 1991; the figures are as follows:
	
		
			  UK trade in goods and services with world (in £ million) 
			   Total exports  Total imports 
			 1991 135,940 142,061 
			 1992 144,091 151,659 
			 1993 163,640 170,125 
			 1994 180,508 185,255 
			 1995 203,509 207,051 
			 1996 224,169 227,519 
			 1997 232,887 232,031 
			 1998 231,034 238,978 
			 1999 239,494 254,911 
			 2000 267,347 286,597 
			 2001 273,116 300,061 
			 2002 274,945 306,496 
			 2003 282,231 313,213 
			 2004 289,959 328,384

European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Act

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the operation of the European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Act 2004; and what recent representations she has received about the operation of this Act.

Bridget Prentice: The European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Act 2004 (EPLE(P) Act) provided for the piloting of all-postal voting in four electoral regions at the 2004 combined European and local elections. The Electoral Commission published evaluations of each region's pilot in August 2004. At the same time, they also published an overarching report "Delivering Democracy? The future of postal voting". All of the Commission's reports are available on its website: www.electoralcommission.org.uk.
	The Government published its response to "Delivering Democracy?" in December 2004 (Command Paper Cm 6436).
	All-postal voting in general, including the operation of the EPLE(P) Act 2004, has been debated in both Houses as the Electoral Administration Bill has progressed through Parliament. Aside from this I have received no recent representations on the operation of the Act.

Financial Review

Michael Meacher: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications for financial review have been made in each year since 1990; how many cases the High Court agreed to hear in each year; and in how many cases it found against the Government.

Harriet Harman: The number of applications for permission/leave to apply for judicial review are set out in the following table which also shows the number of applications in which permission/leave was granted in the relevant year. As to whether the cases were against the Government and the results of those cases, this information can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Judicial review civil and criminal—Applications for permission 
			   Received  Granted 
			 1990 2,129 902 
			 1991 2,089 923 
			 1992 2,439 1,123 
			 1993 2,886 1,049 
			 1994 3,208 1,260 
			 1995 3,604 1,393 
			 1996 3,901 1,257 
			 1997 3,739 1,278 
			 1998 4,539 1,020 
			 1999 4,959 1,373 
			 2000 4,247 1,464 
			 2001 4,732 1,400 
			 2002 5,377 1,124 
			 2003 5,949 1,440 
			 2004 4,207 1,036 
			 2005 5,381 744

Party Funding

Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list leaders of political parties represented at Westminster to whom the Lord Chancellor has written seeking views on elements of a reporting regime of loans received further to the Lord Chancellor's statement in the House of Lords on 20 March.

Bridget Prentice: pursuant to the reply, 8 May 2006, Official Report, c. 112W
	My previous answer provided a list of those to whom the Lord chancellor had written on 20 March seeking views on elements of a reporting regime for loans. While the Lord Chancellor did write to Lord Rogan, I incorrectly referred to him as the Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. The Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party is Sir Reg Empey.

Property Rights

Michael Spicer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will bring forward proposals to amend current legislation to give a spouse absolute right to an equal share with their husband or wife in property even where his or her name does not appear on the deeds.

Harriet Harman: The Government have no plans to bring forward proposals to give a spouse an absolute equal right to property. The ownership of matrimonial property is most often an issue in divorce proceedings. The Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 governs the division of property on divorce and sets out a number of factors to be taken into account by the courts when considering that division. The prime consideration is the welfare of any children. Other factors include the contribution, both financial and other, that each spouse has made and the length of the marriage. The courts often make property adjustment orders as part of an assessment based on the future needs of the divorcing spouses and the needs of any children involved. Every marriage is different and circumstances vary so much that it would not be equitable in many cases to impose an automatic equal right.

Accidents at Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were involved in an accident at work in each of the last 20 years; and what percentage of the workforce this represented in each year.

Anne McGuire: The number or reported injuries to workers in Great Britain 1986-87 to 2004-05 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of injuries  Percentage of workforce 
			 1986-87 181,832 (1)— 
			 1987-88 182,390 (1)— 
			 1988-89 186,327 (1)— 
			 1989-90 189,290 (1)— 
			 1990-91 184,543 0.72 
			 1991-92 173,404 0.70 
			 1992-93 161,675 0.67 
			 1993-94 155,734 0.64 
			 1994-95 160,844 0.66 
			 1995-96 150,968 0.61 
			 1996-97 159,175 0.62 
			 1997-98 166,049 0.63 
			 1998-99 162,450 0.61 
			 1999-2000 165,648 0.59 
			 2000-01 163,266 0.58 
			 2001-02 159,763 0.56 
			 2002-03 158,554 0.55 
			 2003-04 164,339 0.56 
			 2004-05(2) 153,160 0.52 
			 (1 )Employment data for workers not available for these years.(2) Provisional. Notes:1. Data for 1986-87 to 1995-96 reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1985; data from 1996-97 reported under RIDDOR 1995. Injuries comprise fatal, major and over three-day injuries to workers.2. The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.3. RIDDOR statistics are those reported by employers and others to all enforcing authorities.4. Estimates of work-related injuries have also been available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) since 1994-95. Comparing LFS estimates with the injuries reported suggests that not all non-fatal accidents are reported, and that the level of reporting by employers has varied between 41 per cent. and 48 per cent. However, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does know about all fatal injuries at work. 
		
	
	We are pleased to note that these figures reflect a steady downward trend in the percentage of the workforce injured while at work.
	We continue to deliver the HSC's risk-based strategy to improve Great Britain's health and safety performance through a targeted programme of interventions that concentrates our resources on the highest areas of incidence and the poorest performers.

Action Teams

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the areas served by action teams.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 16 May 2006
	The information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Jobcentre Plus action teams 
			  Region/county  District  Action team 
			 London Central London Islington 
			  City and East London Hackney 
			  Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth Lambeth 
			  North and North East London Waltham Forest 
			  South and South East London Greenwich 
			  South and South East London Lewisham 
			
			 South East Kent Thanet 
			
			 North East Northumbria and Gateshead Newcastle 
			  Northumbria and Gateshead Wansbeck 
			  South Tyne, Sunderland and Durham Chester le Street 
			  South Tyne, Sunderland and Durham Easington 
			  South Tyne, Sunderland and Durham South Tyneside 
			  South Tyne, Sunderland and Durham Sunderland 
			  South Tyne, Sunderland and Durham Wear Valley 
			  Tees Valley Hartlepool 
			  Tees Valley Stockton 
			
			 North West East Lancashire Blackburn with Darwen 
			  Greater Mersey Halton 
			  Greater Mersey Knowsley 
			  Greater Manchester Central Manchester Central 
			  Greater Manchester Central Manchester North 
			  Greater Manchester Central Manchester South 
			  Greater Manchester Central Salford 
			  Liverpool and Wirral St. Helens 
			  Liverpool and Wirral Wirral 
			  Cumbria Barrow in Furness 
			
			 Scotland Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway East Ayrshire 
			  Forth Valley, Fife and Tayside Dundee 
			  Highland, Islands, Clyde and Grampian Highlands and Islands 
			  Highland, Islands, Clyde and Grampian West Dunbartonshire 
			  Lanarkshire and East Dunbarton North Lanarkshire 
			
			 South West Devon and Cornwall Cornwall 
			
			 Wales Bridgend and Eastern Valleys Bridgend(1) 
			  Bridgend and Eastern Valleys Rhondda Cynon Taff 
			  South East Wales, Cardiffand Vale Torfaen(1) 
			  Swansea and Eastern Valleys Swansea(1) 
			  Swansea and West Wales Carmarthen(1) 
			  Swansea and West Wales Ceredigion(1) 
			  Swansea and West Wales Neath Port Talbot 
			  Swansea and West Wales Pembrokeshire 
			
			 West Midlands Black Country Wolverhampton 
			
			 Yorkshire and Humberside South Yorkshire Barnsley and Rotherham 
			  North and East Yorkshire Hull 
			  South Yorkshire Sheffield 
			 (1) Teams that are part of Wales Objective One Action Team. Source:Jobcentre Plus Products Division. 
		
	
	
		
			  Private sector led action teams 
			  Region/county  District  Action team 
			 London Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon and West London Brent 
			  North and North East London Haringey 
			  City and East London Newham 
			  Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth Southwark 
			  City and East London Tower Hamlets 
			
			 South East Surrey and Sussex Brighton and Hove 
			
			 North East Tees Valley Middlesbrough 
			  Tees Valley Redcar and Cleveland 
			
			 North West Liverpool and Wirral Liverpool Central 
			  Liverpool and Wirral Liverpool North 
			  Liverpool and Wirral Liverpool South 
			  Greater Mersey Sefton 
			
			 Scotland Glasgow Glasgow Central and East 
			  Glasgow Glasgow North 
			  Glasgow Glasgow South 
			  Glasgow Glasgow West 
			
			 South West Devon and Cornwall Plymouth 
			
			 Wales Bridgend and Eastern Valleys Blaenau Gwent 
			  Bridgend and Eastern Valleys Caerphilly 
			  Bridgend and Eastern Valleys Merthyr Tydfil 
			  North West Wales and Wrexham North West Wales 
			
			 West Midlands Birmingham and Solihull Birmingham North 
			  Birmingham and Solihull Birmingham South 
			
			 Yorkshire and Humberside South Yorkshire Doncaster 
			  Source:Jobcentre Plus Products Division.

Asbestos-related Deaths

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have died from asbestos-related conditions in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: The number of deaths from mesothelioma and asbestosis combined in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years for which data are available is given in the following table:
	
		
			   1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002( 1)  2003( 1) 
			 England 1,119 1,154 1,194 1,236 1,383 1,462 1,482 1,700 1,715 1,729 
			 Scotland 129 158 144 138 166 163 151 166 182 179 
			 Wales 51 53 53 57 52 51 70 77 78 76 
			 Northern Ireland 34 39 38 43 48 53 45 66 54 57 
			 (1) Provisional Sources:Health & Safety Executive British mesothelioma and asbestosis registers, Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) 
		
	
	The number of asbestos-related lung cancer deaths cannot be directly enumerated, since asbestos-related lung cancers are clinically indistinguishable from lung cancers due to other causes. Current evidence suggests that the number of asbestos-related lung cancer deaths is similar to the number of deaths due to mesothelioma. Therefore, since mesothelioma deaths account for the vast majority in the table, the total number of deaths due to asbestos is approximately double those given in the table.

Jobcentre Plus

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability employment officers there are; where they are located; what criteria are used in deciding on their location; and whether account is taken of the number of disabled people in a particular area in determining locations.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 9 May 2006
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many disability employment officers there are; where they are located; what criteria are used in deciding on their location; and whether account is taken of the number of disabled people in a particular area in determining locations. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus currently has 570 Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) nationally. A regional breakdown of where they are located is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Disability Employment Advisers 
			   Number 
			 East Midlands 29 
			 East of England 37 
			 London 73 
			 North East 45 
			 North West 85 
			 Scotland 49 
			 South East 48 
			 South West 46 
			 Wales 41 
			 West Midlands 62 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 55 
			 Total 570 
		
	
	Local managers have the maximum flexibility in deciding where to locate DEAs. Their decisions take into account local factors, such as the number of disabled people, so that resources are deployed to best meet their customers' needs.
	Not all disabled people need to see a DEA. Specialist incapacity benefit personal advisers (SIBPAs) also work with such customers. Jobcentre Plus currently has 595 SIBPAs nationally. A regional breakdown of where they are located is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Specialist incapacity benefit personal advisers 
			   Number 
			 East Midlands 56 
			 East of England 74 
			 London 25 
			 North East 63 
			 North West 61 
			 Scotland 89 
			 South East 16 
			 South West 76 
			 Wales 51 
			 West Midlands 33 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 51 
			 Total 595

Mental Illness

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received benefits on the basis of mental illness in each of the last five years; and what the cost was.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested. Information on the key benefits paid to people with a primary diagnosis within the mental and behavioural disorders or mental health or learning difficulties diagnoses groups is in the tables.
	The estimates of benefit expenditure provided understates the true costs of benefit spending on those with the stated conditions, as they do not include any additional income-related benefits which may be in payment. The expenditure figures provided do not include any costs associated with administering the specified benefits.
	
		
			  Numbers receiving specified benefits with mental and behavioural disorders or mental health or learning difficulties, 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			  Thousand 
			   Incapacity benefit  Severe disablement allowance  Attendance allowance  Disability living allowance 
			 2000-01 752 144 132 466 
			 2001-02 807 142 131 506 
			 2002-03 871 129 124 551 
			 2003-04 917 125 124 598 
			 2004-05 956 121 126 643 
			  Notes:1. Figures for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance relate to cases that have been diagnosed as having a mental and behavioural disorder. Diagnoses are based on the International Classification of Diseases. For attendance allowance and disability living allowance cases relate to primary diagnosis of mental health problems or learning difficulties.2. All figures are in thousands, rounded to the nearest thousand.3. All figures relate to financial years and are based on averages of underlying quarterly data.4. Figures for attendance allowance and disability living allowance are consistent with Table 1.1a of the published Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, which take account of late terminations and provide a comparable series over time. Figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. Source: Information for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance is based on DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. Information for attendance allowance and disability living allowance is based on DWP Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, 5 per cent. sample data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Estimated total benefit expenditure, for specified benefits, for those with mental and behavioural disorders or mental health or learning difficulties, 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			  £ million, 2006-07 prices 
			   Incapacity benefit  Severe disablement allowance  Attendance allowance  Disability living allowance 
			 2000-01 1,909 455 370 1,329 
			 2001-02 1,985 464 369 1,465 
			 2002-03 2,070 415 351 1,562 
			 2003-04 2,121 401 351 1,705 
			 2004-05 2,155 390 356 1,833 
			  Notes:1. All figures are estimates of expenditure by main diagnosis.2. Figures for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance relate to cases that have been diagnosed as having a mental and behavioural disorder. Diagnoses are based on the International Classification of Diseases. For attendance allowance and disability living allowance cases relate to primary diagnosis of mental health problems or learning difficulties. 3. All figures are consistent with the historical outturn expenditure figures published in the DWP's Benefit Expenditure which can be found on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure, asp.4. All figures are in real terms, calculated using the latest GDP deflator.5. All figures are rounded to the nearest million pounds. Source: Information for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance is based on DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. Information for attendance allowance and disability living allowance is based on DWP Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, 5 per cent. sample data.

Pathways to Work

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in  (a) West Suffolk constituency and  (b) the East of England are participating in the Pathways to Work programme.

Anne McGuire: Our successful Pathways to Work pilots have been acknowledged internationally as the best way of helping people on incapacity benefits back into work quickly. They have resulted in 21,400 Pathways job entries, including over 3,360 from voluntary customers.
	West Suffolk constituency is currently not covered by the programme, but our Welfare Reform Green Paper, A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work, sets out our plans to roll out the programme across the whole country by 2008.
	Pathways to Work pilots were rolled out in Essex, part of the East of England region, in April 2004. There have been 31,180 starts on the Pathways to Work programme in Essex.

Pension Age

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual savings from raising the women's pension age from 60 to 65 years are in each year from 2010 to 2030; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  United Kingdom, 2006-07 prices 
			   Net savings in pensioner spending (£ billion) 
			 2010 0.4 
			 2011 1.4 
			 2012 2.2 
			 2013 3.2 
			 2014 4.1 
			 2015 5.1 
			 2016 6.0 
			 2017 7.0 
			 2018 8.0 
			 2019 9.0 
			 2020 9.6 
			 2021 9.9 
			 2022 10.3 
			 2023 10.6 
			 2024 10,9 
			 2025 11.2 
			 2026 11.4 
			 2027 11.5 
			 2028 11.7 
			 2029 11.8 
			 2030 12.0 
			  Notes:  1. All figures are given in 2006-07 prices and are based on current policy.  2. Figures are given in £billion, rounded to one decimal place.  3. The figures assume that an increase in the state retirement pension age for women would correspondingly increase the qualifying age for benefits such as pension credit, housing benefits and winter fuel payments. However, there would also be extra costs arising from working age benefits such as incapacity benefit, income support, jobseeker's allowance, bereavement benefits, and housing benefits. The net effect of these changes is shown in the table.  4. The figures cover expenditure on the bigger spending benefits only. Administrative costs, and any revenue effects, have not been considered.   Source:  The figures are based on DWP long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend consistent with the budget report 2006.

Pension Credit

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents in each electoral ward in Bassetlaw receive pension credit.

James Purnell: The most recent period for which figures are available are in the following table.
	
		
			  Pensions credit: Individual beneficiaries for wards in Bassetlaw, November 2005 
			  Ward name  Individual beneficiaries( 1) 
			 Beckingham 130 
			 Blyth 120 
			 Carlton 380 
			 Clayworth 60 
			 Everton 90 
			 Harworth 525 
			 Langold 185 
			 Misterton 140 
			 Rampton 75 
			 Ranskill 125 
			 Sturton 85 
			 Sutton(2) 105 
			 Welbeck(3) 165 
			 Worksop East 575 
			 Worksop North 340 
			 Workshop North East 360 
			 Workshop North West 370 
			 Worksop South 220 
			 Worksop South East 730 
			 Birklands 420 
			 Meden 360 
			 Bassetlaw total 5,440 
			 (1 )The number of individual beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners.(2) Welbeck Ward falls into both Bassetlaw and Mansfield parliamentary constituencies.(3) Ward totals do not sum to Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency total due to two wards crossing parliamentary constituency boundaries. Notes:1. Number of individual beneficiaries are rounded to a multiple of five.2. Sutton Ward falls into both Bassetlaw and Newark parliamentary constituencies 3. Pension credit (PC) replaced minimum income guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. Existing MIG recipients were automatically converted onto pension credit on that date (assuming they still met the eligibility criteria). Source: Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Pension Credit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been employed in all forms of the administration of pension credit, savings credit and guarantee credit in each year since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information is not available.
	Staff employed in The Pension Service administer a range of entitlements, including state pension, over 80 pensions, graduated retirement pension, state earnings- related pension, state second pension, pension credit and winter fuel payments.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of females of pension age in the UK who will be in receipt of a full basic state pension in 2006-07; how many were so entitled in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of females of state pension age with a full basic state pension (million) 
			 2004-05 3.2 
			 2005-06 3.2 
			 2006 -07 3.2 
			  Notes: 1. The figures include category B pension paid to widows based on husbands' contributions. 2. Figures are for Great Britain.3. The full basic state pension as at April 2004 was £79.60 per week. The full basic state pension as at April 2005 was £82.05 per week and the full basic state pension as at April 2006 is £84.25 per week. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000. Sources: 1. Figures for 2004-05 are derived from March 2005 five per cent. sample. 2. Figurers for March 2005-06 and 2006-07 are derived from the DWP micro- simulation model.

Pensions

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of raising the addition to the basic state pension for those aged 80 years or over from 25p to  (a) £2.50 per week,  (b) £5 per week and  (c) £10 per week, assuming no change in the thresholds for means-tested benefits.

James Purnell: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Weekly rate of age addition  Gross annual cost  (£ million)  Net annual cost  (£ million) 
			 £2.50 310 220 
			 £5.00 660 460 
			 £10.00 1,360 940 
			  Note: The costs: (a) are in 2006-07 price terms for a 2007-08 policy change and are rounded to the nearest £10 million; (b) have been estimated using the Government Actuary's Department Retirement Pension Model with income related benefit and tax offsets for net costs calculated using the DWP policy simulation model and; (c) are based on the assumption that the increased amounts are flat rate and payable in full to all eligible pensioners in GB and overseas.

Poverty

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many black and minority ethnic children are living in poverty in the UK.

Anne McGuire: Information on the UK is not held. The available information for Great Britain is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of children in Great Britain living in households below 60 per cent. median income 
			  Million 
			  Ethnic group  Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 White 1.9 2.7 
			 Asian or Asian British 0.3 0.4 
			 Black or Black British 0.1 0.2 
			 Other ethnic group 0.1 0.1 
			 Total 2.4 3.4 
			  Source: Family Resources Survey 2004-05

Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of Government funding was provided to Remploy in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what level of funding will be provided to Remploy in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 16 May 2006
	Remploy is funded through both commercial activity and a grant in aid from the Department for Work and Pensions, which is to help meet the additional costs associated with supporting large numbers of disabled people. The level of Government funding therefore is linked to the commercial performance of Remploy.
	Remploy's actual grant in aid in 2003-044 was £115 million, in 2004-05 it was £116 million and in 2005-06 it was £119 million. In each of these years the final grant in aid exceeded the original allocation reflecting the worsening trading conditions that Remploy have and are likely to continue to experience. For this year (2006-07) and next year (2007-08) the allocated grant in aid for Remploy is £111 million per year pending the outcome of the independent strategic review.

Single Parents

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single parents in Tamworth constituency were in receipt of income support in each year between 2001 and 2005; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Lone parents in receipt of income support in the Tamworth parliamentary constituency: each November 2001 to 2005 
			   Number of lone parents 
			 2001 1,210 
			 2002 1,120 
			 2003 1,050 
			 2004 1,010 
			 2005 970 
			  Notes:1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.2. Single Parents are defined as single claimants with dependants aged under 60 and not receiving Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance. Source: Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS)

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in  (a) Lancashire,  (b) Blackpool and  (c) Lancaster and Wyre in each year since 2002.

Liam Byrne: Data on antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are available at criminal justice system area and local government authority (lga) area level only. A table giving annual data on the number of ASBOs issued at all courts, as reported to the Home Office, up to 30 September 2005 (latest available), broken down by the lga area in which restrictions are imposed is available on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk

Crime (Sentences) Act 1997

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of Section  (a) 28,  (b) 29,  (c) 30,  (d) 31 and  (e) 32 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997; and what recent representations he has received about the operation of these sections.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sections 28, 31 and 32 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 [as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 2003] relate to the Parole Board's powers to direct the release of life sentence prisoners and those offenders sentenced to Imprisonment for Public Protection and the licence conditions and recall to prison of such prisoners. Section 29 was repealed by the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Section 30 allows for release in exceptional circumstances on compassionate grounds.
	The main purpose of these sections is to ensure the protection of the public. There has been no indication or representations to the effect that the operation of these sections is inconsistent with this objective. The main criterion governing the Parole Board's consideration is the risk of serious harm that the lifer may be to others. The Parole Board is required to direct the release of any tariff expired life sentence prisoner if it is satisfied that
	"it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should be confined".
	The Board plays a key role in the wider public protection arena. I am satisfied that it continues to discharge its responsibilities diligently and in line with the relevant Directions and Rules to which it operates. I am also satisfied that the Board recognises the need to continually improve the standards of its risk assessments and decisions in this important area.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of claims made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority have been processed within  (a) six months,  (b) 12 months,  (c) 18 months and  (d) over 18 months in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is set out in the following table. It relates to the time from the receipt of an application to the issue of a decision by CICA to the claimant.
	
		
			  Time from receipt of application to issue of decision at claims assessment stage 
			  Percentage 
			  Year decision issued  Less than 6 months  6-12 months  12-18 months  More than 18 months 
			 2005-06 22 44 21 13 
			 2004-05 30 40 18 12 
			 2003-04 34 38 16 12 
			 2002-03 33 40 16 11 
			 2001-02 32 43 16 9

Departmental Expenditure

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on  (a) advertising,  (b) refreshments,  (c) travel for Ministers and  (d) stationery by the Home Office in each year since 1997.

John Reid: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The information on Home Office expenditure on advertising since 1997 is given in the following table.
	 (b) The information on Home Office expenditure on refreshments since 1997 is given in the following table.
	 (c) The information requested for travel for Ministers is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of overseas journeys undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information for the financial years 1995-96 to 2004-05. Information for 2005-06 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.
	 (d) The information on Home Office expenditure on stationery is given in the following table.
	 (a)
	
		
			  Financial year  Advertising expenditure (£ million) 
			 1997-98 1.4 
			 1998-99 1.8 
			 1999-2000 5.65 
			 2000-01 28.36 
			 2001-02 14.4 
			 2002-03 9.9 
			 2003-04 12.487 
			 2004-05 10.203 
		
	
	 (b)
	
		
			  Financial year  Refreshments expenditure (£) 
			 1997-98 409,973 
			 1998-99 180,130 
			 1999-2000 623,687 
			 2000-01 792,313 
			 2001-02 827,683 
			 2002-03 1,103,558 
			 2003-04 1,816,708 
			 2004-05 1 ,484,967 
			  Note:  Refreshment expenditure includes hospitality and working lunches 
		
	
	 (d)
	
		
			   Stationery expenditure (£) 
			 1997 to 2001 Unavailable 
			 2002 4,419,777 
			 2003 4,974,960 
			 2004 4,931,657 
			 2005 3,483,976 
			  Note:  Expenditure excludes paper, computer consumables and office supplies

Diabetic Drivers

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide high-energy glucose tablets to police officers to enable them to assist diabetic drivers; when he will make such provision; what estimate he has made of the cost; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 May 2006
	Provision of such items is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police. The responsibility for managing their diabetes and driving safely rests firmly with individual drivers. On issuing licences to insulin treated drivers, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency advises them by letter that they should make sure they have an emergency supply of carbohydrate like glucose tablets in their car.

Domestic Violence

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to improve the services offered to women seeking refuge from domestic violence in Kingston upon Hull North.

Liam Byrne: The provision for women seeking refuge for Kingston upon Hull North is the provision for Hull.
	Hull had one of the first Women's Aid Refuges (1972) and a purpose built hostel was opened in 1976 which is owned by North British Housing. The rent is paid by Hull city council via Supporting People monies which also provide the workers within the refuge.
	There are currently 18 bed spaces within a dedicated refuge facility and protected houses scheme. In addition to this there is the 'own home initiative' where the victim and family have a choice to remain in their family home with extra security measures put in place. The manager from Women's Aid is currently on a secondment to manage the new Hull Domestic Abuse Partnership (DAP) which is working to improve the services to victims of domestic violence.
	Hull DAP is a multi-agency team including police officers, a health practitioner, a social worker and a housing support worker. The team works within the same office to provide a one stop service for women in the city seeking refuge from domestic violence.

Domestic Violence

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of reported cases of domestic violence in  (a) England,  (b) each English region and  (c) the Tees Valley involved (i) women in a same sex relationship, (ii) men in a same sex relationship and (iii) children in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not collect this information.

Drug or Alcohol Rehabilitation Courses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders took part in a drug or alcohol rehabilitation course in 2005-06 as an alternative to a custodial sentence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Probation Service has available two substance misuse offending behaviour programmes: Addressing Substance Related Offending (ASRO) and the Offender Substance Abuse Programme (OSAP) and the Drink Impaired Drivers (DID) programme. The number of offenders who started on the ASRO, OSAP or DID programmes last year as a requirement of a community sentence or as a condition of a licence upon release from custody is shown in the following table.
	It is not possible to say how many of these offenders on community sentences were considered by the courts for a custodial sentence.
	
		
			  Programme type  Number of commencements( 1) 
			 Addressing Substance Related Offending (ASRO) 2,943 
			 Offender Substance Abuse Programme (OSAP) 928 
			 Drink Impaired Drivers (DID) 4,665 
			 (1 )January to December 2005.

Electoral Fraud

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of electoral fraud in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of people convicted for electoral fraud offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983, in England and Wales, 1995-2004 are shown in the table.
	Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn.
	
		
			  Number of defendants convicted of electoral fraud under the Representation of the People Act 1983,1995 - 2004, England and Wales 
			  Defendants 
			   Bribery, treating and undue influence  Personation  Total 
			 1995 3 11 14 
			 1996 ? ? ? 
			 1997 ? 5 5 
			 1998 ? 6 6 
			 1999 1 2 3 
			 2000 1 ? 1 
			 2001 ? 10 10 
			 2002 ? ? ? 
			 2003 1 1 2 
			 2004 2 1 3 
			  Note: Figures are for principal offences.  Source: Court Proceedings Database, Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Fireworks

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices have been issued to  (a) males and  (b) females in relation to the illegal use of fireworks in (i) Southend and (ii) Essex since the relevant legislation was introduced.

Liam Byrne: Data from the Penalty Notices for Disorder database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of males and females issued with penalty notices for fireworks in Essex police force area 2004, as well as provisional data for 2005, are provided in the following table.
	It is not possible to identify the number of penalty notices issued in Southend as the data are broken down by police force area only and are not available at that level of detail.
	
		
			  Number of penalty notices for disorder issued for fireworks offences, by sex,  Essex police force area, 2004 and 2005( 1) 
			   Throwing fireworks  Breach of fireworks curfew  Possession of a Category 4 firework  Possession by an under-18-year-old of adult firework 
			  2004 
			 Males 2 1 1 2 
			 Females — — — — 
			 Total 2 1 1 2 
			  
			  2005( 1) 13 — — 1 
			 Males — — — — 
			 Total 13 — — 1 
			 (1 )Provisional data.   Source:  RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Foreign Prisoners

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whose responsibility it is to ensure that the Prison Service communicates with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate about foreign nationals leaving prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is the responsibility of Governors and Directors, as set out in Prisoner Service Order 4630, to ensure that procedures are in place within their establishment to inform the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of all the foreign national prisoners held within their prison. I have placed a copy of the Order in the House of Commons Library.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement onthe operation of section  (a) 1,  (b) 2 and (c) 3 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act; what amendments have been made to the Act; and whether he has plans to amend this Act.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government are satisfied that these provisions operate effectively to protect people from harassment and fear of violence. Since its introduction, the Protection from Harassment Act has been amended and strengthened:
	(with effect from 1 August 2001) by the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 to make clear that the legal sanctions that apply to a campaign of harassment by an individual against another also apply to a campaign of collective harassment by two or more people;
	(with effect from a date to be appointed) by the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004 to extend the use of restraining orders; and
	(with effect from 1 July 2005) by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 to protect people from harassment by animal rights (or other) extremists.
	The more recent amendments were made in response to representations from victims of domestic violence and those working for or connected in some way to companies involved in the use of animals for scientific research. In addition to these specific representations, we receive regular requests for information about the Act from members of the public who are on the receiving end of behaviour that may constitute harassment or who have been accused of harassment. There are no current plans to amend the Act further.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of section 36 of the Data Protection Act 1998; what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act; what amendments have been made to the Act; and whether he has plans to amend this Act.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The responsibility for monitoring the working of the Data Protection Act 1998 lies with the Information Commissioner, who has a statutory duty to promote good practice and to give advice to any person (including the Government) as to the operation of the Act Section 36 of the Data Protection Act (DPA) exempts personal data from many of the Act's requirements where personal data is processed by an individual only for the purposes of that individual's personal, family or household affairs (including recreational purposes). However the Information Commissioner retains his powers of investigation and enforcement where someone appears to have exceeded the scope of the exemption.
	My Department receives correspondence from a range of individuals and organisations on the day-to-day operation of the Act.
	The DPA has been amended by numerous pieces of legislation. The last amendment was by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
	We have no immediate plans for amending the legislation, but my Department, together with the Home Office, is currently considering whether custodial sentences would be an appropriate sanction for unauthorised disclosure of personal information.

Migrant Workers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many migrant worker work permits were applied for by farmers in Bassetlaw in each of the last six years; and how many were granted.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 May 2006
	Approvals for individuals to work in the UK agricultural sector are granted under the Work Permit Scheme, the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) and the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). Please see following tables for the approval information on for each of the schemes.
	
		
			  Work Permit Scheme 
			   Approved  Refused 
			 2000 0 0 
			 2001 0 0 
			 2002 0 0 
			 2003 0 0 
			 2004 1 0 
			 2005 1 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Worker Registration Scheme( 1) 
			   Approved  Refused 
			 2004 23 0 
			 2005 58 0 
			 (1) The Worker Registration Scheme has operated only from 1 May 2004. 
		
	
	 Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme
	Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme applicants are recruited by Home Office contracted operators and information is collated only for those workers registered on the scheme. Some of those who apply may not be successful and therefore will not be registered on the scheme. Previous to 2004 records were not collected as to which area of the country the workers were deployed to and therefore information is available only for the Bassetlaw area as from that date.
	Total 2004: 24
	Total 2005: 35
	These data are not provided under National Statistics Protocols. It has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions Ministers of State in his Department stayed overnight in  (a) five star,  (b) four star and  (c) three star hotels on foreign visits in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: The information could not be provided without disproportionate cost. Under the terms of the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, when travelling on official business Ministers are expected to make efficient and cost effective travel arrangements.

National Offender Management Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) full-time,  (b) full-time equivalent and  (c) part-time staff are employed by the National Offender Management Service; and how many are employed at salaries in band  (a) £10,000 to £20,000,  (b) £20,001 to £30,000,  (c) £30,001 to £40,000,  (d) £40,001 to £50,000,  (e) £50,001 to £60,000,  (f) £60,001 to £70,000,  (g) £70,001 to £80,000 and  (h) £90,000 and above.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Offender Management Service consists of NOMS HQ, HM Prison Service and the National Probation Service. Each of these three organisations compiles their own data and statistics. In order to answer this question, the response is broken down into three component parts representing the three organisations in the following table.
	
		
			  NOMS HQ held on, or in process of migration to, ADELPHI 
			  Salary band  Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time equivalent 
			 Salary unavailable(1) 66 7 73 70.49 
			 £5,001-£9,999 0 0 0 0 
			 £10,000-£20,000 333 19 352 343 
			 £20,000-£30,000 373 30 403 394 
			 £30,000-£40,000 260 20 280 273 
			 £40,000-£50,000 78 2 80 79 
			 £50,000-£60,000 251 23 274 270 
			 £60,000-£70,000 71 12 83 80 
			 £70,000-£80,000 9 0 9 9 
			 £80,000-£90,000 4 0 4 4 
			 £90,000 + 8 0 8 8 
			 Total 1,309 104 1,413 1,380 
			 (1) Where possible payroll values have been used, and where this has proved impossible target rates for the grades at 1 July 2005 have been assigned. However in some case it has not been possible to provide salary banded information without excessive cost. Payroll salary is the basic salary excluding allowances.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many copies of the police complaints authority annual report 2003-04 were distributed by his Department; if he will list those who were sent copies; at what cost; how many copies were printed; at what cost; who was awarded the contract to undertake the printing; how  (a) hon. Members,  (b) Members of the House of Lords and  (c) members of the public may obtain a copy; at what cost; when he expects the 2004-05 edition of the independent police complaints commission annual report to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: A total of 640 copies of the police complaints authority's (PCA) annual report 2003-04 were distributed to police authorities and police forces, former PCA members and current IPCC commissioners, statutory bodies such as HMIC and Centrex and other interested organisations and individuals including liberty, inquest and academics in the field of police oversight.
	The cost of printing and publication were borne by the stationery office (TSO) who aims to recover these from sales revenue. The contract was awarded by TSO after competitive tendering. The approximate cost for distribution was £4,214.
	The cost per copy is £14.75.
	Hon. Members may obtain copies from the vote offices in the House of Commons.
	Members of the House of Lords may be obtain copies from the printed paper office in the House of Lords.
	Members of the public may obtain copies from ISO's bookshops in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham and from ISO agents in the principal cities. Copies can also be ordered by telephone or mail order from ISO or by internet from ISO's online bookshop (www.tso.co.uk/bookshop). Orders will also be processed by booksellers and via Amazon.
	The PCA annual report 2003-04 is also available on the independent police complaints commission (IPCC) website at http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/pca_a_r03-04.pdf.
	The independent police complaints commission (IPCC) annual report 2004-05 was published on23 November 2005. Both the report and a summary leaflet are available on the IPCC's website at: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/index/resources/evidence_ reports/corp_reports-plans.htm.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions firearms were issued to policemen in each of the police authorities in England and Wales in each of the last seven years for which information is available; and on how many occasions they were used.

Liam Byrne: The number of operations in which firearms were issued since 1996-97 for each force in England and Wales is shown in the table. The number of incidents when the police opened fire using conventional firearms is also shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of incidents where conventional firearms were used 
			   Incidents 
			 1996-97 5 
			 1997-98 3 
			 1998-99 5 
			 1999-2000 7 
			 2000-01 9 
			 2001-02 11 
			 2002-03 10 
			 2003-04 4 
			 2004-05 5 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of operations in which firearms were authorised 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Total 12,379 11,842 10,928 10,915 11,109 13,991 14,827 16,657 15,981 
			 Avon and Somerset 312 139 88 90 65 195 262 311 333 
			 Bedfordshire 345 323 260 190 294 237 301 442 475 
			 Cambridgeshire 54 96 43 75 71 114 57 104 241 
			 Cheshire 288 216 299 386 545 419 451 397 358 
			 Cleveland 1,026 103 35 76 28 37 170 453 530 
			 City of London 308 307 147 125 3 40 131 364 404 
			 Cumbria 72 68 52 24 30 71 77 72 152 
			 Derbyshire 109 147 176 178 167 275 401 369 287 
			 Devon and Cornwall 160 133 61 65 151 101 96 112 71 
			 Dorset 36 54 69 79 174 184 193 231 223 
			 Durham 131 103 114 114 40 89 83 156 144 
			 Essex 331 505 590 497 435 323 312 275 296 
			 Gloucestershire 41 51 52 52 48 165 185 127 176 
			 Greater Manchester 214 165 160 224 357 580 518 507 461 
			 Hampshire 245 217 129 103 114 198 162 208 237 
			 Hertfordshire 96 82 75 73 86 112 172 195 185 
			 Humberside 291 472 317 193 158 297 187 183 206 
			 Kent 236 423 92 85 83 115 137 207 163 
			 Lancashire 333 338 616 267 242 232 238 318 241 
			 Leicestershire 155 89 109 222 217 300 268 295 260 
			 Lincolnshire 58 52 57 155 336 477 392 386 294 
			 Merseyside 671 675 484 489 825 1020 628 751 733 
			 Metropolitan 2,439 2,578 2,742 2,862 1,862 2,447 3,199 3,563 2,964 
			 Norfolk 166 128 185 239 226 175 200 178 195 
			 Northamptonshire 64 77 51 57 58 43 138 148 158 
			 Northumbria 1,360 823 683 465 708 1,440 1,275 1,140 977 
			 North Yorkshire 65 102 69 612 72 92 100 147 185 
			 Nottinghamshire 84 306 266 255 233 384 452 459 408 
			 South Yorkshire 155 302 135 237 127 258 463 484 546 
			 Staffordshire 257 240 209 174 203 232 281 255 216 
			 Suffolk 180 193 174 165 176 163 270 251 153 
			 Surrey 133 87 60 143 221 245 247 203 151 
			 Sussex 235 330 123 185 353 248 204 280 187 
			 Thames Valley 215 227 158 110 153 179 167 195 289 
			 Warwickshire 97 152 291 194 233 130 149 164 124 
			 West Mercia 106 132 130 110 36 117 91 197 162 
			 West Midlands 270 227 305 362 485 822 902 1,377 1264 
			 West Yorkshire 617 630 662 813 822 757 604 575 853 
			 Wiltshire 26 26 24 19 66 45 58 63 88 
			 Dyfed Powys 17 27 38 37 18 28 29 28 51 
			 Gwent 89 86 64 39 30 20 37 40 81 
			 North Wales 233 310 386 371 195 302 259 197 223 
			 South Wales 59 101 148 255 363 283 281 250 236

Police

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to issue guidance to police forces in England and Wales on the powers available under section 52 of the Police Reform Act 2002 for the seizure of mini-motorbikes; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 empowers the police to seize vehicles, including mini-motorbikes, being driven inconsiderately or carelessly on road contrary to section three of the Road Traffic Act 1988, or off-road without authority, contrary to sections 34 of the Act if at the same time they are being driven in such a manner as to cause or be likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public.
	The Home Office issued on 1 November 2005 additional guidance to the police on their power to seize vehicles being used in an anti social manner. This included examples of best practice where the police were working with the local authority to make effective use of the powers available to the two agencies. The Home Office has organised a number of Action Days with anti-social behaviour practitioners to share best practice around the topic of anti-social use of vehicles and has provided guidance specifically on mini-motorbike misuse through the TOGETHER website:
	www.together.gov.uk
	Where mini-motorbike nuisance has been identified as a problem locally we would expect the local crime and disorder strategy to address it making use of the guidance issued as appropriate.

Police

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed in  (a) armed response units and  (b) specialist firearms officers teams in Bedfordshire police force in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The number of authorised firearms officers in Bedfordshire police since 1996-97 are shown in the table. We do not hold information on whether these officers are in armed response units or specialist firearms officers' teams.
	
		
			  Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs), Bedfordshire 
			   Number 
			 1996-97 46 
			 1997-98 42 
			 1998-99 50 
			 1999-2000 46 
			 2000-01 45 
			 2001-02 48 
			 2002-03 53 
			 2003-04 58 
			 2004-05 56

Police

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the use of firearms was authorised in operations in each police force in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The number of operations in which firearms were authorised in each police force in England and Wales are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of operations in which firearms were authorised 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Total 12,379 11,842 10,928 10,915 11,109 13,991 14,827 16,657 15,981 
			 Avon and Somerset 312 139 88 90 65 195 262 311 333 
			 Bedfordshire 345 323 260 190 294 237 301 442 475 
			 Cambridgeshire 54 96 43 75 71 114 57 104 241 
			 Cheshire 288 216 299 386 545 419 451 397 358 
			 Cleveland 1,026 103 35 76 28 37 170 453 530 
			 City of London 308 307 147 125 3 40 131 364 404 
			 Cumbria 72 68 52 24 30 71 77 72 152 
			 Derbyshire 109 147 176 178 167 275 401 369 287 
			 Devon and Cornwall 160 133 61 65 151 101 96 112 71 
			 Dorset 36 54 69 79 174 184 193 231 223 
			 Durham 131 103 114 114 40 89 83 156 144 
			 Essex 331 505 590 497 435 323 312 275 296 
			 Gloucestershire 41 51 52 52 48 165 185 127 176 
			 Gtr Manchester 214 165 160 224 357 580 518 507 461 
			 Hampshire 245 217 129 103 114 198 162 208 237 
			 Hertfordshire 96 82 75 73 86 112 172 195 185 
			 Humberside 291 472 317 193 158 297 187 183 206 
			 Kent 236 423 92 85 83 115 137 207 163 
			 Lancashire 333 338 616 267 242 232 238 318 241 
			 Leicestershire 155 89 109 222 217 300 268 295 260 
			 Lincolnshire 58 52 57 155 336 477 392 386 294 
			 Merseyside 671 675 484 489 825 1,020 628 751 733 
			 Metropolitan 2,439 2,578 2,742 2,862 1,862 2,447 3,199 3,563 2,964 
			 Norfolk 166 128 185 239 226 175 200 178 195 
			 Northamptonshire 64 77 51 57 58 43 138 148 158 
			 Northumbria 1,360 823 683 465 708 1,440 1,275 1,140 977 
			 North Yorkshire 65 102 69 612 72 92 100 147 185 
			 Nottinghamshire 84 306 266 255 233 384 452 459 408 
			 South Yorkshire 155 302 135 237 127 258 463 484 546 
			 Staffordshire 257 240 209 174 203 232 281 255 216 
			 Suffolk 180 193 174 165 176 163 270 251 153 
			 Surrey 133 87 60 143 221 245 247 203 151 
			 Sussex 235 330 123 185 353 248 204 280 187 
			 Thames Valley 215 227 158 110 153 179 167 195 289 
			 Warwickshire 97 152 291 194 233 130 149 164 124 
			 West Mercia 106 132 130 110 36 117 91 197 162 
			 West Midlands 270 227 305 362 485 822 902 1,377 1,264 
			 West Yorkshire 617 630 662 813 822 757 604 575 853 
			 Wiltshire 26 26 24 19 66 45 58 63 88 
			 Dyfed Powys 17 27 38 37 18 28 29 28 51 
			 Gwent 89 86 64 39 30 20 37 40 81 
			 North Wales 233 310 386 371 195 302 259 197 223 
			 South Wales 59 101 148 255 363 283 281 250 236

Police

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed in  (a) armed response units and  (b) specialist firearms officers teams in each police force in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The number of Authorised Firearms Officers in each force in England and Wales since 1996-97 is shown in the table. We do not hold information on whether these officers are in armed response units or specialist firearms officers' teams.
	
		
			  Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Total 6,738 6,585 6,308 6,262 6,064 5,776 5,763 6,096 6,243 
			 Avon and Somerset 165 161 153 150 135 116 84 122 118 
			 Bedfordshire 46 42 50 46 45 48 53 58 56 
			 Cambridgeshire 90 80 80 77 73 56 71 60 60 
			 Cheshire 70 82 70 75 74 81 89 75 76 
			 Cleveland 86 84 78 80 75 85 80 95 100 
			 City of London 88 81 55 73 74 73 72 86 89 
			 Cumbria 108 122 98 98 94 92 87 89 90 
			 Derbyshire 110 100 87 77 81 80 69 70 74 
			 Devon and Cornwall 151 147 82 119 100 108 115 132 123 
			 Dorset 74 72 72 66 67 57 59 60 64 
			 Durham 138 144 96 101 101 86 102 97 103 
			 Essex 228 217 235 228 195 180 184 186 202 
			 Gloucestershire 82j 84 79 77 72 71 80 82 93 
			 Gtr Manchester 209 182 217 218 240 219 202 205 187 
			 Hampshire 106 112 110 111 100 87 94 94 92 
			 Hertfordshire 42 41 43 52 44 46 47 50 53 
			 Humberside 90 102 102 97 102 96 96 96 101 
			 Kent 150 150 130 136 136 113 93 90 94 
			 Lancashire 132 125 132 143 132 138 129 122 115 
			 Leicestershire 104 94 90 90 85 69 68 51 53 
			 Lincolnshire 82 85 75 78 80 91 87 78 86 
			 Merseyside 147 165 121 96 103 78 84 94 93 
			 Metropolitan 2,035 1,971 1,951 1,977 1,940 1,805 1,823 2,060 2,134 
			 Norfolk 98 102 109 110 114 104 109 114 125 
			 Northamptonshire 92 92 92 75 77 51 56 52 50 
			 Northumbria 173 126 123 114 109 125 99 90 93 
			 North Yorkshire 108 95 83 59 66 66 64 60 56 
			 Nottinghamshire 128 129 120 116 137 136 131 138 138 
			 South Yorkshire 110 108 90 100 98 92 100 98 122 
			 Staffordshire 78 86 92 81 67 71 63 67 76 
			 Suffolk 82 96 101 98 90 90 80 96 88 
			 Surrey 76 61 69 71 72 62 48 53 49 
			 Sussex 180 146 156 131 118 120 141 134 130 
			 Thames Valley 185 194 179 187 185 156 180 172 176 
			 Warwickshire 41 38 44 54 45 50 51 46 53 
			 West Mercia 155 159 139 129 130 125 131 139 141 
			 West Midlands 88 95 92 93 83 111 110 124 134 
			 West Yorkshire 131 114 128 110 117 116 132 140 130 
			 Wiltshire 134 105 88 89 71 71 78 80 74 
			 Dyfed Powys 70 71 67 65 61 77 62 58 79 
			 Gwent 70 59 64 68 66 57 60 71 74 
			 North Wales 72 90 97 92 67 83 75 73 65 
			 South Wales 134 176 169 155 143 138 125 139 134

Police

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) average pay and  (b) average yearly percentage change in pay was of a (i) police constable, (ii) police sergeant, (iii) police inspector and (iv) chief constable in each of the last 20 years in real terms at current prices.

John Healey: The information requested fails within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 May 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask what the  (a) average pay and  (b) average yearly percentage change in pay was of a(i) police constable, (ii) police sergeant, (iii) police inspector and (iv) chief constable in each of the last 20 years in real terms at current prices. I am replying in her absence. (56210).
	Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for full time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work. Earlier estimates are from the New Earnings Survey (NES) which used a similar definition for earnings estimates.
	I attach tables showing Average Gross Weekly Earnings and growth in pay, by occupation for the years 1986 to 2005. Estimates of changes between years are subject to sampling variations. In particular some changes prior to the introduction of ASHE in 1997 should be treated with caution. The occupational classification used for ASHE have only two levels of classification relating to police officers, which are given in the attached tables. Current prices refer to figures expressed in terms of the prices that were current for the period. Consequently figures for 2000 are in terms of prices that were current in 2000 and figure for 1990 are in terms of prices that were current in 1990.
	The ASHE and its predecessor NES, carried out in April of each year, are the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. They are based on a one per cent. sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		
			  Gross weekly (£) pay for full time employee jobs ( 1)  by occupation 
			   Police officers (inspectors and above) ( 2) 
			   Media  Growth  Mean  Growth 
			 1986 355 — 373 — 
			 1987 386 8.7 400 7.1 
			 1988 424 40.0 446 11.6 
			 1989 439 3.6 462 3.6 
			 1990 456 3.8 490 6.1 
			 1991 528 15.7 565 15.2 
			 1992 554 5.0 590 4.4 
			 1993 600 8.4 631 7.0 
			 1994 577 3.9 634 0.6 
			 1995 627 8.7 646 1.8 
			 1996 655 4.5 679 5.1 
			 1997 (3) 671 2.4 684 0.9 
			  
			 1997 671 — 685 — 
			 1998 707 5.4 721 52 
			 1999 707 0.1 743 3.1 
			 2000 716 1.2 775 4.3 
			 2001 743 3.8 814 5.1 
			 2002 752 1.1 831 2.1 
			 2003 801 6.6 864 4.0 
			 2004 825 2.9 903 4.4 
			 2004 (4) 836 — 903 — 
			 2005 922 (5)— 1,017 (5)— 
		
	
	
		
			   Police officers (sergeant and below) ( 2) 
			   Median  Growth  Mean  Growth 
			 1986 235 — 247 — 
			 1987 250 6.2 263 6.1 
			 1988 272 8.9 286 8.8 
			 1989 291 6.7 303 6.2 
			 1990 329 13.4 340 12.0 
			 1991 361 9.5 377 11.1 
			 1992 405 12.2 412 9.1 
			 1993 410 1.2 424 3.0 
			 1994 413 0.9 428 0.8 
			 1995 426 3.0 440 2.9 
			 1996 445 4.7 463 5.2 
			 1997 (3) 460 3.2 471 1.7 
			  
			 1997 466 — 479 — 
			 1998 483 3.7 495 3.5 
			 1999 503 4.1 514 3.7 
			 2000 523 4.0 535 4.1 
			 2001 542 3.7 564 5.4 
			 2002 559 3.1 582 3.2 
			 2003 586 4.9 612 5.3 
			 2004 599 2.1 627 2.5 
			 2004 (4) 605 — 632 — 
			 2005 660 (5)— 677 (5)— 
			 (1 )Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.(2) Discontinuities exist within NES and ASHE data over time, these have been reflected within the above time series.(3) From 1985-97 estimates are based on the New Earnings Survey. From 1997-2005 estimates are based on the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.(4) In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes.(5) Figures for average gross weekly earnings are discontinuous for these occupations in 2005 due to a change in the ASHE questionnaire. Figures for 2005 include allowances that were not previously included. Growths can be estimated from figures for basic pay excluding those allowances for both years. 2005 growth in basic pay:Police officers (inspectors and above): Median: 2.6; Mean: 2.4Police officers (sergeant and below): Median: 3.0; Mean: 2.8 Guide to quality:The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality.The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.The above estimates have a CV of less than 5 per cent.The median replaces the mean as the heading statistic. The weighted mean is the sum of the weighted values divided by the sum of the weights. The median is the value below which 50 per cent. of employees fall. It is preferred over the mean for earnings data as it is influenced less by extreme values and because of the skewed distribution of earnings data . Source:Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Police

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police there are in the Metropolitan police force.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is available in the "Police Service Strength publication as at 30 September 2005". This report was published on 23 January 2006 and is available in the Library of the House and on: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb0106.pdf

Prisoners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were released on licence during each of the last eight financial years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For an indication of the number released since 1997, see Table 7.1 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library. This table shows the number of receptionsinto prison establishments in each year since 1994.Chapter 10 of the same publication explains release arrangements for prisoners.

Prisoners

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons run remedial programmes for inmates with personality disorders.

Gerry Sutcliffe: HMP Dovegate and HMP Grendon run large therapeutic communities while HMP Gartree, HMP Blundeston and HMYOI Aylesbury run smaller therapeutic communities. A new women's therapeutic community is being developed at HMP Send. These communities offer long term residential treatment programmes where emotional and psychological needs are addressed together with risk factors relating to offending behaviour.
	For prisoners with dangerous and severe personality disorder, there are units at HMP Frankland and HMP Whitemoor. There is also a prison based specialist in-reach service for up to 12 women who are dangerous as a result of a personality disorder which has recently opened at HMP Low Newton.

Prisoners

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of  (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) juvenile inmates have been diagnosed with (i) one, (ii) two and (iii) more than two mental health disorders; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is not available in the form requested. The information available, from a survey of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales in 1997, by the Office for National Statistics, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of mental disorders by prisoner type 
			  Number of mental disorders  Male  Female  Young offenders 
			 One 20 19 16 
			 Two 28 28 25 
			 Two plus 44 42 54 
			  Source:  Psychiatric Morbidity Amongst Prisoners in England and Wales (ONS, 1998)

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1318W, on prisoners, what the cost to the Prison Service is of prisoners receiving Sky TV in their cells.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sky television subscriptions in the four public sector prisons where it is available to some prisoners in cell cost £1,533.38 a month. However, 665 of the prisoners with access to Sky TV in cell are held in contracted out prisons where the cost of the facility is not borne by the Prison Service.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the staff turnover rates were in prisons operated by the  (a) public sector and  (b) private sector in each of the last five years; what assessment he has made of the two figures; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the turnover rate of permanent staff, including retirements, within public sector Prison Service establishments is detailed in the following table. Information on staffing turnover in the contracted estate is not routinely collected and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Staff turnover in public sector prisons 
			 2001 7.7 
			 2002 7.4 
			 2003 8.0 
			 2004 7.7 
			 2005 7.7

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mobile telephones have been recovered at each prison in each of the last12 months for which figures are available; how many of these telephones were recovered  (a) as a resultof mobile telephone detectors and  (b) after analysis of recovered handsets; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Mobile phone detectors are now being used more readily across the prison estate although the data of these finds is not recorded centrally.
	From 1 September 2005 the National Dog and Technical Support Group has been recording details of mobile phones and SIM cards that prisons have passed to them for specialist investigation. Data obtained cannot be broken down to identify those mobile phones and SIM cards found as a result of detectors.
	 (b) Data on the number of mobile phones found as a result of analysis of handsets is not recorded.
	
		
			  Mobile phone and SIM card interrogation fiscal year record 
			  Establishment  September 2005  October 2005  November 2005  December 2005  January 2006 
			 Ashwell — — — — 7 
			 Aylesbury — — 2 — — 
			 Bedford — 4 6 2 5 
			 Bristol 2 9 2 5 5 
			 Brixton 1 — — — — 
			 Blundeston 6 6 1 9 6 
			 Brinsford — — — 1 — 
			 Bullingdon — — 1 — 2 
			 Bullwood Hall — — 1 — — 
			 Blakenhurst — — 1 8 1 
			 Canterbury — — — 3 1 
			 Chelmsford 1 1 1 — 4 
			 Cookham Wood — — — — 2 
			 Doncaster 1 — — — — 
			 Dorchester 1 1 — — — 
			 Deerbolt — 2 — — — 
			 Dartmoor — 1 — — — 
			 Drake Hall — — — 1 — 
			 Edmund Hill 1 — — — — 
			 Elmley — — — 2 — 
			 Erlestoke 2 — 6 — — 
			 Exeter — — — — 1 
			 Feltham 5 — — — — 
			 Featherstone 3 — — — — 
			 Full Sutton 1 — 6 4 1 
			 Ford 1 1 — 1 6 
			 Forrest Bank — — — — 1 
			 Garth 7 1 13 13 5 
			 Glen Parva — 1 — — — 
			 Gloucester — — — — 1 
			 Hatfield — 1 — — — 
			 Highdown — — 1 — — 
			 Hindley — — 1 — 1 
			 Highpoint 29 20 15 3 7 
			 Hull 1 2 — — 1 
			 Haverigg 1 4 3 4 4 
			 Holme House — 1 1 2 — 
			 Kirkham 2 3 3 2 2 
			 Kirklevington — — — 1 — 
			 Kingstone — — 1 — — 
			 Leeds 2 5 2 6 3 
			 Long Lartin 3 — 1 6 12 
			 Leicester 2 — — — — 
			 Lewes — 7 2 — 7 
			 Leyhill — — — — 3 
			 Liverpool — — — 12 4 
			 Little Hey — — 3 1 — 
			 Morton Hall — 1 — — — 
			 Maidstone 2 3 1 — — 
			 Manchester — 11 — — — 
			 Moorland — — 3 — 3 
			 North Sea Camp 4 2 1 6 5 
			 Nottingham 3 — — — — 
			 Northallerton 2 — 1 1 — 
			 Norwich 1 3 3 1 4 
			 Onley 1 — — — 1 
			 Parkhurst 2 — — — 4 
			 Peterborough — 1 — 1 — 
			 Risley 2 — — — — 
			 Reading — 1 — — — 
			 Springhill — — — 6 13 
			 Stocken — — — 4 3 
			 Sudbury — — — 3 1 
			 Swansea 2 1 — — 1 
			 Swaleside — — — 4 8 
			 Swinfen Hall 1 2 — 1 1 
			 Stafford — 7 4 — — 
			 The Mount — — — — 7 
			 Usk — 1 — — — 
			 Verne 1 — — 1 2 
			 Wakefield — — — — 1 
			 Wayland 4 — 5 — — 
			 Wandsworth 39 8 — — — 
			 Wealstun — 6 — 1 — 
			 Wellingborough — — — — 1 
			 Wymott — 3 — 3 — 
			 Wolds — 1 — — — 
			 Woodhill — 2 — 1 1 
			 Total 136 123 91 119 148

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time (i) chaplains, (ii) rabbis, (iii) imams and (iv) clerics of other religions are employed by the Prison Service in England and Wales.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table details the number of directly employed chaplains within the public sector Prison Service and is broken down by the religion of the chaplain. There are no directly employed rabbis recorded as Jewish. In addition to directly employed chaplains, a large number of chaplains also work for the Prison Service on a sessional (fee paid) basis but the numbers are not recorded centrally.
	
		
			  Number of directly employed chaplains within the public sector Prison Service 
			  Denomination  Full-time  Part-time  Total 
			 Christian 170 99 269 
			 Muslim 26 13 39 
			 Hindu 1 — 1 
			 Total 197 112 309

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of transfers of inmates between prison establishments for each year since 1997, broken down by prison establishment.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Figures on the transfer of prisoners between establishments have been centrally recorded since 2003. Details of transfers in the last three years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Prisoner transfers by prison and year 
			   Transfers out 
			  Prisons  2003  2004  2005 
			 Acklington 335 322 330 
			 Albany 125 111 48 
			 Altcourse 1,808 1,881 1,719 
			 Ashfield 516 158 171 
			 Ashwell 477 493 540 
			 Askham Grange 40 45 40 
			 Aylesbury 164 192 151 
			 Bedford 1,624 1,462 1,571 
			 Belmarsh 1,908 1,865 1,952 
			 Birmingham 2,374 1,968 2,810 
			 Blakenhurst 2,995 3,019 2,349 
			 Blantyre House 35 16 34 
			 Blundeston 379 339 381 
			 Brinsford 1,190 1,285 1,128 
			 Bristol 2,050 2,068 1,767 
			 Brixton 1,985 2,143 2,130 
			 Brockhill 976 832 506 
			 Bronzefield — 372 1199 
			 Buckley Hall 261 221 284 
			 Bullingdon 1,447 1,173 1,277 
			 Bullwood Hall 100 87 85 
			 Camp Hill 289 354 388 
			 Canterbury 375 253 257 
			 Cardiff 846 951 790 
			 Castington 760 583 563 
			 Channings Wood 228 307 301 
			 Chelmsford 1,648 1,857 2,060 
			 Coldingley 313 270 348 
			 Cookham Wood 132 208 91 
			 Dartmoor 354 292 385 
			 Deerbolt 225 273 163 
			 Doncaster 2,694 2,451 2,143 
			 Dorchester 1,054 939 995 
			 Dovegate 466 475 289 
			 Dover 21 11 6 
			 Downview 176 152 150 
			 Drake Hall 103 115 69 
			 Durham 1,738 1,476 1,179 
			 East Sutton Park 15 27 30 
			 Eastwood Park 887 567 255 
			 Edmunds Hill 452 505 163 
			 Elmley 2,095 1,976 2,210 
			 Erlestoke 302 355 363 
			 Everthorpe 209 296 263 
			 Exeter 1,101 1,143 1,172 
			 Featherstone 414 383 366 
			 Feltham 2,241 2,262 2,182 
			 Ford 279 277 262 
			 Forest Bank 1,752 1,976 1,851 
			 Foston Hall 324 254 348 
			 Frankland 158 174 145 
			 Full Sutton 290 302 253 
			 Garth 361 352 430 
			 Gartree 105 119 121 
			 Glen Parva 994 855 903 
			 Gloucester 1,251 1,373 1,225 
			 Grendon 112 116 125 
			 Guys Marsh 411 436 449 
			 Haslar 27 5 1 
			 Haverigg 756 699 714 
			 Hewell Grange 91 122 119 
			 Highdown 1,965 1,895 2,139 
			 Highpoint 445 490 585 
			 Hindley 595 561 523 
			 Hollesley Bay 178 247 213 
			 Holloway 2,261 1,827 988 
			 Holme House 1,229 924 722 
			 Hull 2,145 1,906 2,028 
			 Huntercombe 134 162 140 
			 Kingston 92 36 42 
			 Kirkham 423 494 376 
			 Kirklevington 49 66 68 
			 Lancaster 137 171 172 
			 Lancaster Farms 1,293 1,713 1,622 
			 Latchmere House 45 30 39 
			 Leeds 1,952 2,144 2,386 
			 Leicester 1,764 1,645 1,619 
			 Lewes 1,206 1,123 1,083 
			 Leyhill 276 334 272 
			 Lincoln 852 1280 1193 
			 Lindholme 568 476 447 
			 Littlehey 314 287 273 
			 Liverpool 1,382 1,469 1,678 
			 Long Lartin 267 269 220 
			 Low Newton 258 138 91 
			 Lowdham Grange 329 375 328 
			 Maidstone 533 282 225 
			 Manchester 2,100 1,747 1,747 
			 Moorland 550 539 501 
			 Moorland Open 212 230 228 
			 Morion Hall 103 133 69 
			 Mount 553 604 463 
			 New Hall 899 863 395 
			 North Sea Camp 178 178 144 
			 Northallerton 255 106 127 
			 Norwich 1,162 1,190 1,309 
			 Nottingham 2,362 2,284 2,153 
			 Onley 459 427 280 
			 Pare 627 745 494 
			 Parkhurst 332 255 234 
			 Pentonville 2,589 2,437 3,080 
			 Peterborough — — 587 
			 Portland 290 354 229 
			 Prescoed 63 88 57 
			 Preston 2,000 1,781 1,852 
			 Ranby 515 592 677 
			 Reading 589 658 689 
			 Risley 734 824 817 
			 Rochester 92 190 228 
			 Rye Hill 324 374 329 
			 Send 151 161 60 
			 Shepton Mallet 78 82 74 
			 Shrewsbury 1,395 1,007 971 
			 Spring Hill 163 214 177 
			 Stafford 509 316 341 
			 Standford Hill 380 354 328 
			 Stocken 366 390 444 
			 Stoke Heath 521 899 843 
			 Styal 907 648 584 
			 Sudbury 245 274 285 
			 Swaleside 320 312 290 
			 Swansea 578 637 621 
			 Swinfen Hall 136 115 130 
			 Thorn Cross 294 252 257 
			 Usk 59 62 50 
			 Verne 282 410 289 
			 Wakefield 137 160 157 
			 Wandsworth 2,136 2,252 2,410 
			 Wayland 406 439 438 
			 Wealstun 428 328 281 
			 Weare 306 326 178 
			 Wellingborough 355 372 405 
			 Werrington 106 87 100 
			 Wetherby 321 251 162 
			 Whatton 68 98 81 
			 Whitemoor 180 167 136 
			 Winchester 1,765 1,808 1,561 
			 Wolds 245 220 172 
			 Woodhill 1,770 1,988 2,278 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 1,921 2,049 2,465 
			 Wymott 290 412 495 
			 Total 101,467 99,788 97,975

Prisons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have escaped from prison in England and Wales in each of the last 20 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the total number of prisoners who have escaped in the last 10 calendar years and this year to date. The table contains the total number of Key Performance Indicator (KPI) escapes from prisons. A KPI escape is one where (a) the prisoner is not captured within 15 minutes or (b) the prisoner is recaptured within 15 minutes but has committed an offence other than escape before recapture. Once a prisoner is unlawfully at large the matter passes into the hands of the police.
	
		
			  Number of escapes from prisons in England and Wales since 1996 to date 
			   Total escapes from establishments  Total KPI escapes 
			 1996 28 42 
			 1997 23 23 
			 1998 63 24 
			 1999 32 32 
			 2000 15 12 
			 2001 13 14 
			 2002 8 9 
			 2003 12 11 
			 2004 10 10 
			 2005 3 3 
			 2006 to date 2 2

Prisons

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the 10 most common offences are for which women are sent to prison in England and Wales, broken down by age group.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Women sentenced to immediate custody at all courts in England and Wales in 2004—top 10 offences 
			  Number of women sentenced to immediate custody 
			  Offence  Aged 10-17  Aged 18-20  Aged 21 and over  All ages 
			 Theft from shops 35 172 2,139 2,346 
			 Other wounding etc(1) 89 85 344 518 
			 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a class A drug 8 40 437 485 
			 'Other' fraud(2) 6 22 429 457 
			 Failing to surrender to bail 3 42 408 453 
			 Robbery 79 57 217 353 
			 Burglary in a dwelling 26 28 267 321 
			 Driving whilst disqualified 4 12 300 316 
			 Common assault 48 50 210 308 
			 Assault on a constable 23 44 221 288 
			 All Offences 444 819 7,491 8,754 
			 (1) Mostly wounding or inflicting GBH (without intent) (2) Mostly obtaining property by deception.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Home Office

Public Order

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were found guilty of  (a) drunken and disorderly behaviour and  (b) drunken and aggravated disorderly behaviour in (i) England and (ii) Kingston upon Hull North in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of offenders convicted at all courts for 'simple drunkenness' and 'drunkenness with aggravation' in Kingston upon Hull petty sessional area and England, 1997-2004 are provided in the first table. It is not possible to separately identify convictions in Kingston upon Hull north as the data are not collected at that level of detail.
	Statistics for 2005 court proceedings will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	Some drunkenness offences are now dealt with by penalty notice for disorder. Previously, such cases would have either gone to court or been dealt with by caution or informal warning. The penalty notice for disorder scheme (PND) was brought into effect in all police forces in England and Wales during 2004. Under the scheme the police are able to issue persons committing specified minor offences with a fixed penalty notice.
	No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability for the offence. Data on the number of PNDs for offences related to drunkenness for 2004 and provisional data for 2005 are provided in the second table. Offences related to aggravated drunken behaviour are not included in the scheme.
	
		
			  Number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences related to drunkenness, Kingston upon Hull petty sessional area and England, 1997 to 2004 
			   Kingston upon Hull  England 
			   Drunkenness, simple  Drunkenness with aggravation  Drunkenness, simple  Drunkenness with aggravation 
			 1997 5 60 3,333 22,474 
			 1998 4 51 3,710 23,864 
			 1999 3 65 3,134 22,764 
			 2000 — 40 2,579 22,078 
			 2001 2 23 2,424 21,468 
			 2002 1 19 2,201 22,741 
			 2003 2 19 1,999 23,893 
			 2004 — 20 1,674 17,550 
			  Note:  These data are provided on the principal offence basis   Source: RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of penalty notices for disorder issued in for offences related to drunkenness, England, 2004 and 2005 (provisional data). 
			   Total  DA06 drunk and disorderly  DB05 drunk in a highway  DB07 consumption of alcohol in public place 
			 2004 28,455 25,591 2,387 477 
			 2005 (provisional) 37,742 34,220 2,873 649 
			  Source:  RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list recommendations from the Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure which were  (a) accepted,  (b) implemented in legislation and  (c) rejected; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure was established in 1977 and published its final report in January 1981 (Cmnd 8092). The Commission made a wide range of recommendations. For example, its report is known to have influenced legislation governing police powers in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and also the establishment of an independent Crown Prosecution Service in the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. There does not appear to have been a formal published Government response to the recommendations in the report and it is not possible to supply the detailed information requested. In the 25 years since the report was published there have been a number of other enquiries, most recently, Sir Robin Auld's Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales in 2001.

Sex Trafficking

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of29 November 2005,  Official Report, columns 465-7W to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Susan Kramer), on sex trafficking, what progress has been made on taking forward the necessary steps to ratify the UN convention against transnational organised crime and the related Palermo protocol.

Vernon Coaker: We recently ratified the Convention and its protocols on smuggling and trafficking, having put in place all the legislative requirements to bring our law into compliance with these instruments. The UK ratified the Convention and protocols 9 February 2006 with an effective date of 11 March 2006.

Witness Intimidation

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of intimidating witnesses in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the office for criminal justice reform for the number of people convicted of intimidating witnesses in England and Wales for the years 2000 to 2004 can be found in the following table.
	Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of people convicted at all courts for offences relating to intimidating in England and Wales 2000 to 2004( 1) 
			  Year 
			  Principal statute  Offence description  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec. 51(1) Intimidating a juror or witness or person assisting in investigation of offenders 364 348 415 467 523 
			 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec. 51(2) Harming or threatening to harm a juror, witness or a person assisting in investigation of offences 66 76 65 76 113 
			 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S39 Intimidating or intending to intimidate a witness 0 0 3 2 10 
			 Criminal Justice and Police Act S40 Harming or intending to harm a witness 0 0 1 2 2 
			  Total 430 424 484 547 648 
			 (1 )These data are provided on the principal offence basis

Abuse by Health Staff

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inquiries into abuse by health staff were ordered by  (a) her Department and  (b) NHS trusts and strategic health authorities in the last five years; what the status of each inquiry was; whether the data from each inquiry have been brought together; and what plans for action were made as a result of each inquiry.

Andy Burnham: The investigation of any adverse incident involving healthcare staff is primarily a matter for the local national health service community. Where professional conduct issues are raised then the Department would also expect the relevant professional and regulatory body to be involved. In cases where there are wider concerns about the failure of the systems in place to prevent such incidents, NHS trusts and strategic health authorities may set up independent investigations but information on these is not collected centrally.
	The independent Healthcare Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection also investigate serious failures in the provision of health and social care which may also involve abuse by healthcare staff.
	Since May 2001, the Department has set up the following independent investigations following concerns about healthcare professionals.
	
		
			  Date set up  Inquiry  Date reported 
			 July 2001 An independent investigation into how the NHS handled allegations about the conduct of Clifford Ayling (a former Kent general practitioner) under section two of the NHS Act 1977 September 2004 
			 July 2001 An independent investigation into how the NHS handled allegations about the performance and conduct of Richard Neale, a gynaecologist who practised in Yorkshire September 2004 
			 July 2001 An independent investigation into how the NHS handled allegations of about the conduct of two psychiatrists, William Kerr and Michael Haslam under section two of the NHS Act 1977 July 2005 
			 November 2001 An independent review of paediatric neurology services at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust October 2003 
		
	
	The Government are awaiting the recommendations of a review by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of certain aspects of medical regulation, including the revalidation of doctors. The CMO is currently finalising his report and will be reporting to ministers in the near future. Once Ministers have considered the CMO's recommendations, the Government will publish a comprehensive action programme responding to the recommendations in the Ayling, Neale and Kerr/Haslam inquiries as well as the outstanding recommendations of the Shipman Inquiry.
	Both the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and the Department have produced detailed action plans to follow up the recommendations of the review of paediatric neurology services at Leicester effectively in order to minimise the risk of similar future occurrences.

Accident and Emergency Services

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospitals had  (a) a 24 hour accident and emergency department and  (b) another accident and emergency facility in (i) 1996 and (ii) 2006; and in which NHS hospitals with 24 hour provision there are confirmed plans to end such provision.

Rosie Winterton: National health service trusts self-report the number of accident and emergency (A and E) services they provide against definitions set by the Department for the three types of A and E. The information available is shown in the following table and this was the position at the end of December 2005.
	
		
			  Number of departments (England) 
			   Number 
			 Type 1 (major) A and E departments 204 
			 Type 2 (single specialty) A and E departments 85 
			 Type 3 A and E departments (minor injury and illness services including minor injury units, including walk-in centres) 321 
			  Source:OMAE 
		
	
	Prior to 2000-01, statistics provided a count of the number of trusts providing the three different A and E services, rather than the number of each type of service. This pre-2000-01 trust data is available on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov .uk/hospitalactivity
	The Department does not routinely collect and hold centrally operational management information on proposals to close wards or capacity.

Alcohol-related Conditions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of people were admitted to acute hospitals in each of the regions where the primary or secondary diagnosis was an alcohol-related condition in each of the last three years for which data are available; and what percentage this was of the population of each region.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally. However, data is available on the number of patients with alcohol related conditions admitted into acute hospitals as a percentage of the total patients admitted in the last three years which is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Government office region of residence  Patients with alcohol related conditions admitted into acute hospitals  Total number of patients for all diagnoses in 2002-03  Total number of patients with alcohol related conditions admitted into acute hospitals as a percentage of the total patients 2002-03 
			 North East 7,546 403,474 0.3 
			 North West 17,479 1,040,178 0.26 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 9,483 753,903 0.19 
			 East Midlands 6,544 57,794 0.15 
			 West Midlands 7,811 720,637 0.15 
			 East of England 5,958 699,663 0.11 
			 London 10,418 905,038 0.14 
			 South East 9,763 993,230 0.12 
			 South West 8,176 715,324 0.16 
			 Other 2,935 538,477 — 
		
	
	
		
			  Government office region of residence  Total number of patients with alcohol related conditions admitted into acute hospitals 2003-04  Total number of patients for all diagnoses in 2003-04  Total number of patients with alcohol related conditions admitted into acute hospitals as a percentage of the total patients 2003-04 
			 North East 8,228 411,347 0.32 
			 North West 21,804 1,062,229 0.32 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 10,463 761,419 0.21 
			 East Midlands 7,680 586,614 0.18 
			 West Midlands 10,065 734,082 0.19 
			 East of England 6,320 731,147 0.12 
			 London 12,127 944,826 0.16 
			 South East 12,175 1,038,816 0.15 
			 South West 9,494 733,213 0.19 
			 Other 3,666 542,457 — 
		
	
	
		
			  Government office region of residence  Total number of patients with alcohol related conditions admitted into acute hospitals 2004-05  Total number of patients for all diagnoses in 2004-05  Total number of patients with alcohol related conditions admitted into acute hospitals as a percentage of the total patients 2004-05 
			 North East 9,163 411,289 0.36 
			 North West 24,589 1,049,578 0.36 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 11,671 760,500 0.23 
			 East Midlands 8,625 598,954 0.2 
			 West Midlands 10,792 737,583 0.2 
			 East of England 8,169 741,965 0.15 
			 London 14,290 959,481 0.19 
			 South East 14,139 1,053,092 0.17 
			 South West 11,201 745,148 0.22 
			 Other 4,934 563,291 — 
			  Notes:1. Finished consultant episode (FCE)An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.2. Ungrossed data—Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, that is the data is ungrossed.3. OPCS-4 codes used F10 (Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol) K70 (Alcoholic liver disease) T51 (Toxic effect of alcohol). Source:Hospital episode statistics, the Information Centre for health and social care

Avian Influenza

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place at British ports of entry to identify those with the H5N1 virus seeking entry to Britain in the event of a major outbreak overseas.

Rosie Winterton: Regulation 12 of the Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations 1979, regulation 13 of the Public Health (Ships) Regulations 1979 and regulation 8 of the Public Health (International Trains) Regulations 1994 place a duty on conveyance operators to notify the authorities if they become aware that there is a sick person on board an incoming conveyance. The regulations also provide powers for the authorities to take certain actions: for example, to examine or question persons on incoming conveyances where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that they are suffering from or have been exposed to an infectious disease (aircraft regulation 8, ships regulation 9, trains regulation 9). These regulations apply in England and Wales, and their application in Wales is overseen by the National Assembly for Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulations.
	The Government keeps under review the measures that might be required in the event of a flu pandemic among humans. Currently the advice from the World Health Organization is that H5N1 is a disease of birds and there is not efficient or sustained transmission from one human to another.

BCG Vaccination

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to ensure that information on how to receive the BCG vaccination is available following the decision to end the school-based vaccination programme.

Caroline Flint: The Chief Medical Officer announced changes to the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) programme via a letter to the medical profession and primary care trusts on 6 July 2005. In support of these changes an updated leaflet, factsheet, and poster were produced and sent directly to the groups listed above. All of these resources were aimed at raising awareness of tuberculosis (TB), and also informing health professionals and the general public alike, of the changes to BCG policy. All these resources were also made available to order free of charge via the Department publications line.
	The 6 July 2005 policy changes also meant that the tuberculin skin test was given in a different way, with the Mantoux test replacing the Heaf test. The Department produced a flip chart and DVD for training purposes. These were made available to order free of charge via the Department publications line and sent directly to all TB clinics. Following these changes, the Department held a meeting of Immunisation Coordinators who are responsible for implementation of the BCG programme within their localities. The public information materials were shared with the co-ordinators and their views obtained.
	The Department has also carried out public awareness testing on matters relating to TB and its control, and all information materials on TB and BCG are pre-tested with members of the public.

Blood Samples

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the average level among the UK population of  (a) N-Heptane and  (b) polybrominated biphenyl in (i) blood samples and (ii) fat biopsies.

Caroline Flint: No assessments have been made of average levels of n-heptane or polybrominated biphenyls in the United Kingdom population, either in blood or fat biopsies.

Blood Samples

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the average level among the UK population of  (a) free cell DNA in ug DNA per litre of plasma,  (b) nickel DNA adducts in ng/ml and  (c) Beryllium DNA adducts in ng/ml.

Caroline Flint: No estimates have been made of the average levels in the United Kingdom population of free cell deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in microgram DNA per litre of plasma, nor of nickel DNA adducts or beryllium DNA adducts in plasma.

Bournemouth Primary Care Trust

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the revenue allocation made by her Department to Bournemouth primary care trust was in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07;
	(2)  what the level of growth funding received by Bournemouth primary care trust was in 2006-07, expressed  (a) in financial terms and  (b) as a percentage of its total funding allocation;
	(3)  how much was allocated to Bournemouth primary care trust in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; and how much and what percentage of such funding was growth funding in 2006-07.

Caroline Flint: The data requested for Bournemouth teaching primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the tables:
	
		
			  2005-06 revenue allocations 
			   Bournemouth Teaching PCT 
			 Allocation (£000) 180,054 
			 Increase (£000) 15,132 
			 Increase (percentage) 9.2 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 revenue allocations 
			   Bournemouth Teaching PCT 
			 Allocation (£000) 212,879 
			 Increase (£000) 16,656 
			 Increase (percentage) 8.5 
			  Note: Comparisons can not be made between the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 allocations for the following reasons: changes are made to the weighted capitation formula for each allocations round, therefore, comparisons would not be on a like with like basis; and 2006-07 is the first year that primary medical services were incorporated into revenue allocations.

Bournemouth Primary Care Trust

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of Bournemouth Primary Care Trust's allocation for 2006-07 is being held  (a) in its reserve and  (b) by the Strategic Health Authority;
	(2)  what proportion of Bournemouth Primary Care Trust's allocation for 2006-07 is currently being held in its reserve by the relevant strategic health authority.

Caroline Flint: The agreement of strategic health authority reserves form part of the 2006-07 financial planning process, which is not yet complete.

Care Homes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of changes in care home fees in the last five years;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the reasons underlying increases above inflation in care home fees in the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: According to the independent social care sector analysts Laing and Buisson, in its annual "Care of Elderly People UK Market Survey 2005', in the five years up to 31 March 2005 care home fees went up as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Residential care homes  Nursing homes 
			 2000-01 3.8 3.5 
			 2001-02 6.1 6.0 
			 2002-03 8.0 7.8 
			 2003-04 7.4 7.4 
			 2004-05 8.3 7.4 
		
	
	There are a number of possible causes for the rise in fees. This includes the level of fees paid by local authorities and the national health service, which together pay 68 per cent. of the cost of residential care.
	We increased total resources available for social services by an average of six per cent. a year in real terms over the three years 2003-04 to 2005-06. These increases follow a 20 per cent. increase in the level of funding for social services between 1996-97 and 2002-03. This enables local councils to purchase the services to meet their residents' needs. In its annual "Care of the Elderly: UK Market Survey's" Laing and Buisson has reported increases in the fees paid to care homes by social services of around 3 to 4 per cent. a year since 2000-01, with some authorities increasing fees by over 10 per cent.

Choose and Book System

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2006,  Official Report, column 954W, on the Choose and Book System, when she expects the trusts listed will implement fully compliant systems.

Ivan Lewis: The Department expects that the exempt trusts will implement fully compliant systems once they have access to an economically viable compliant patient administration system (PAS). This matter is under consideration and will be determined on a case-by-case basis with the individual trusts during 2006, when planning dates will be agreed.
	Trusts are currently exempt from having a compliant PAS by December 2006 for two reasons. Firstly, for it not being technically possible for them to upgradetheir existing PAS to be compliant and their PAS replacement not being planned until after December 2006. Secondly, for it not being financially viable to upgrade their existing PAS, for example their PAS has a single installation base and the cost to upgrade this versus the benefit to operate this for a finite period is not viable, and their replacement PAS not being planned until after December 2006.
	The number of trusts exempt from operating compliant PAS by December 2006 is fluid and may go up or down slightly, as compliant PAS roll-out plans are finalised between now and the end of the year.

Combined Contraceptive Pill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what mortality rates are attributed to the use of combined oestrogen-progesterone contraceptive pill among women  (a) in the United Kingdom,  (b) in other member European Union countries and  (c) in other World Health Organisation nations; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what mortality rates are attributed to the use of the intra-uterine device as a contraceptive among women in  (a) the United Kingdom,  (b) other member European Union countries and  (c) other World Health Organisation nations; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what mortality rates are attributed to the use of the drug Depo-Provera as a contraceptive among women in  (a) the United Kingdom,  (b) other member European Union countries and  (c) other World Health Organisation nations; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what the mortality rates directly attributed to the use as a contraceptive of the progesterone-only pill were in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Mortality rates directly attributed to the use of different methods of contraception in different countries are not available.
	The yellow card scheme collects reports of suspected adverse drug reactions associated with medicines occurring in the United Kingdom. This data cannot be used to calculate mortality rates attributed to medicines for a number of reasons. Importantly, not all adverse reactions are reported and the level of underreporting differs between medicines. Furthermore, doctors are asked to report suspected adverse reactions regardless of any doubts about a causal association with a medicine. Therefore, a report of a particular adverse reaction on the yellow card database does not necessarily mean that the drug caused it, and other factors such as an underlying or new medical condition may have played a role. Any comparison between products is invalid as the usage of these products and the other factors which affect the level of reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions vary greatly between products.
	The table contains the number of reports of suspected adverse drug reactions, and the number of fatal reports, received by the Medicines and healthcare products Regulatory Agency during 2005 in association with the following: Mirena—an intrauterine device (IUD) that contains progesterone; non-hormonal IUDs; Depo-Provera; the progesterone-only pill; and the combined oral contraceptive. These figures should be viewed in the context of the extensive usage of the contraceptive devices and medicines.
	
		
			  Contraceptive  Total reports  Fatal reports 
			 Mirena 78 0 
			 Non-hormonal IUDs 2 0 
			 Depo-Provera 71 2 
			 Progesterone only pills 80 0 
			 Combined oral contraceptives 99 2 
		
	
	The majority of reports with a fatal outcome relate to venous thromboembolism. An increased risk of venous thromboembolism is well recognised in association with combined hormonal contraceptives and extensive information is provided in the product information for doctors and women.
	Healthcare professionals providing contraceptive services should provide accurate information about the possible side effects of each method to allow women to make informed choices as to the most appropriate method for them. This information is also included in the patient information leaflet. The benefits associated with modern contraceptive use far outweigh the side effects.
	Modern methods of contraception are safe for the vast majority of women who use them and are not only highly effective in preventing pregnancy, but are also associated with other health benefits. The pill for example can reduce menstrual blood loss and relieve painful menstruation. It may also reduce the incidence of ovarian and endometrial cancer.

Dentistry

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have left the NHS to work in private practice in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Data on the destination of dentists leaving the general dental services (QDS) or personal dental services (PDS) is not held centrally.
	The table, however, provides the numbers of national health service dentists who have left the GDS or PDS in England, in each year since 1997.
	
		
			  General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Number of dentists who have left the GDS or PDS in England for the 12 months ending 30 September each year 
			   Number 
			 1997 947 
			 1998 972 
			 1999 1,037 
			 2000 1,206 
			 2001 1,207 
			 2002 1,352 
			 2003 1,236 
			 2004 1,224 
			 2005 1,097 
			  Notes:1. Leavers indicate that the dentist had an open GDS or PDS contract in September of the previous year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year.2. Data include all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the Business Services Authority, up to 8 November 2005. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, for example data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists leaving the GDS or PDS. 3. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the primary care trust. Information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual GDS or PDS dentists are not centrally available.4. Dentists consist of principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts have been excluded. Sources:Information Centre for health and social careBusiness Services Authority

Dentistry

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been provided to enable primary care trusts to provide maternity payments to dentists during the transition to the new dental contract.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) have been given funding allocations for national health service dentistry based on previous levels of expenditure during the reference period of October 2004 to September 2005. This included all dental expenditure in that period including any maternity, paternity or sick pay given to qualifying dentists. In dentistry, as in any other areas of NHS provision, maternity payments will vary over time but allowing for such variation is a normal part of a PCT's funding role.

Dentistry

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a dentist who was pregnant before the new dental contract was introduced on 1 April 2006 is able to claim maternity pay at the levels prescribed in the old dental contract.

Rosie Winterton: Under the former general dental services (GDS) contract, the level of maternity pay for a principal dentist providing NHS general dental services was based on the principal's earnings during a 12-month test period (beginning 21 months before the expected period of confinement). Under the new GDS contract that came into effect from 1 April 2006, any dentist (be they the contract holder, a partner or a practice employee) performing dental services under a national health service contract is entitled to payments in respect of a period of maternity leave. The level of the payment is based on the dentist's pensionable earnings immediately before the period of maternity leave begins.
	Under the transitional arrangements, a principal dentist who was entitled to NHS maternity pay under the former GDS contract and who began her maternity leave before 1 April is entitled to continue receiving the same level of payment as before (based on the earlier test period), if this is higher than payments calculated on the basis of her most recent pensionable earnings.

Dentistry

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of  (a) adults and  (b) children were registered with an NHS dentist in each primary care trust in Devon in (i) 1998 and (ii) 2000.

Rosie Winterton: Number of adults and children registered with a national health service dentist in each primary care trust (PCT) in Devon in the specified years. The percentage of those registered is not available as population figures were not collected at PCT level prior to 2001.
	
		
			   1998  2000 
			   Adults registered  Children registered  Adults registered  Children registered 
			 East Devon 36,422 11,489 41,547 13,558 
			 Exeter 55,930 20,290 57,101 21,017 
			 Mid Devon 25,356 11,556 32,087 13,798 
			 North Devon 45,468 21,147 58,004 23,220 
			 Plymouth Teaching 84,912 38,133 82,881 38,845 
			 South Hams and West Devon 28,132 14,668 29,269 16,283 
			 Teignbridge 34,323 12,110 36,234 12,685 
			 Torbay 52,252 17,563 53,913 19,218 
			  Notes:1. The areas have been defined using practice postcodes within the PCT, not the patient's home address.2. Prison contracts have not been included in this analysis.3. Children are deemed as 17 years or under and adults as 18 years or over. Sources:The Information Centre for health and social care.Business Services Authority.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in her Department have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate numbers in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Type of misuse  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  Total 
			 Internet 0 3 3 27 20 53 
			 Telephone 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total number of cases 0 3 3 27 20 53 
			
			  Action taken   
			 No further action 0 0 0 7 9 16 
			 Disciplinary action 0 2 2 15 9 28 
			 Dismissal 0 1 1 5 2 9 
			  Source:Department of Health IT Security Unit 
		
	
	All office phones are blocked from accessing premium rate numbers. There is management discretion to lift this ban in individual cases based on need. There has been no recorded cases of disciplinary action relating to access to premium line numbers in the last five years.

Diagnostic Scans

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diagnostic scans were carried out by Alliance Medical Ltd. in the NHS in County Durham  (a) in each of the last 12 months and  (b) in each of the previous five years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 May 2006
	Alliance Medical Limited (AML) has not provided any diagnostic scans from within County Durham. An AML mobile unit does operate a service from the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. The unit has visited the hospital on eight occasions since contract commencement in July 2004. The total number of scans are shown in the table. The number referred from specific local areas is not held centrally.
	
		
			  Month/year  Number of scans 
			 September 2004 65 
			 November 2004 82 
			 December 2004 182 
			 January 2005 65 
			 July 2005 119 
			 November 2005 165 
			 January 2006 149 
			 March 2006 133 
			 Total 960 
			  Source: Department of Health

Doctors

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors employed by the NHS are from non-EU countries.

Rosie Winterton: The number of doctors employed in the national health service who qualified in non-European Union countries is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  General and personal medical services and hospital, community health services (HCHS): All doctors by specified country of primary qualification group( 1,2,3) —England as at 30 September 2005 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   All countries of qualification  EU countries  Non-EU countries 
			 All doctors 119,017 85,984 33,033 
			 All HCHS medical staff(2,3) 83,073 55,702 27,371 
			 All general practitioners (GPs)(1) 35,944 30,282 5,662 
			  of which:
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) 32,738 27,979 4,759 
			 GP registrars 2,564 1,682 882 
			 (1 )All practitioners includes contracted GPs, GMS others, PMS others, GP registrars and GP retainers.(2) Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals.(3) Excludes all dental staff. Information about country of qualification is derived from the General Medical Council. For staff in dental specialties, with a General Dental Council registration, the country of qualification is therefore unknown. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental workforce census. The Information Centre for health and social care general and personal medical services statistics.

Electricity Cables

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of children who are exposed to potentially unsafe levels of overhead electricity cables;
	(2)  when she will publish the findings of the Stakeholder Advisory Group on the links between electromagnetic fields and child health.

Caroline Flint: In 2004, the National Radiological Protection Board (now the Health Protection Agency' radiation protection division (HPA-RPD)) recommended the adoption of international electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure guidelines. The supporting review of scientific evidence stated that there is no scientific consensus that exposures to EMFs at levels below currently accepted exposure restrictions cause cancer or any other disease. However, it is their view that
	"the totality of scientific data and uncertainty in knowledge and/or other relevant factors indicate that consideration should be given as to whether further precautionary measures are needed"
	in respect of extremely low frequency (ELF) EMF.
	A subsequent study by the HPA has investigated sources of residential magnetic field exposures (www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/hpa_rpd _reports/2005/hpa_rpd_005.htm). Another study, published in June 2005 by Dr. Draper and colleagues, has estimated the number of children living within certain distance of overhead power lines in England and Wales (bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/reprint). Responding to the Draper study, the HPA noted that the majority of raised ELF magnetic fields in homes are due to variations in the electricity supply and distribution system, the presence of substations and equipment in the home rather than proximity to power lines. The HPA response statement is available on its website at: www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/news/articles/press_releases/2005/050603_ childhood_cancer_voltage.htm.
	In response to the HPA advice in 2004, the Stakeholder Advisory Group on ELF EMF (SAGE) was set up to explore the implications for a precautionary approach and make practical recommendations for precautionary measures. SAGE is currently developing its advice and is expected to report later this year. Details of this process can be found on its website at www.rkpartnership.co.uk/sage.

Emergency Contraception

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many girls under the age of 16 years have been prescribed the morning-after pill in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many morning after pills were prescribed to girls under 16 years by pharmacies without medical supervision in 2005-06.

Caroline Flint: The information available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Occasions on which hormonal post-coital contraceptives dispensed at family planning clinics in England to girls aged under 16, 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			   Number (Thousand) 
			 2000-01 25.3 
			 2001-02 25.8 
			 2002-03 26.8 
			 2003-04 26.7 
			 2004-05 24.4 
			  Source:The Information Centre for health and social care return KT31 
		
	
	Data on how many girls under 16 have been prescribed emergency hormonal contraception by general practice is not held centrally.
	Emergency hormonal contraception can be legally supplied to girls under the age of 16 as a prescription-only medicine by general practitioners and also by nurses and pharmacists working under a patient group direction (PGD). A PGD is where a doctor has delegated authority and the supply will therefore always be under medical supervision.
	Data on emergency hormonal contraception supplied under a patient group direction (PGD) by pharmacists and nurses is not held centrally.

Foster Review

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will announce her response to the foster review of non-medical healthcare professions.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 17 May 2006.

Funding (Northamptonshire)

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the NHS  (a) revenue and  (b) capital expenditure per capita in Northamptonshire was in(i) 1997 and (ii) 2005;
	(2)  what the revenue budget was for health services in Northamptonshire in  (a) 1995,  (b) 2000 and  (c) 2005.

Andy Burnham: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the table shows the total revenue and capital expenditure per head by organisations within the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland strategic health authority (SHA) area.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Revenue expenditure  Capital expenditure 
			 1997-98 541.85 18.44 
			 2004-05 1,093.20 48.23 
		
	
	
		
			   £000 
			 1997-98 836,664 
			 2000-01 1,091,952 
			 2004-05 1,656,267 
			  Notes:1. Revenue expenditure by SHA area is taken as the total expenditure of the strategic health authority, predecessor health authorities and primary care trusts within the SHA area. Capital expenditure includes NHS trusts within the area.2. Capital expenditure is the expenditure on the purchased additions of fixed assets.3. Levels of capital expenditure vary from year to year depending on local investment decisions.4. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and Prescription Pricing Authority, respectively, are excluded. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts. Sources: Audited accounts of relevant health authorities 1997-98 and 1998-99Audited summarisation forms of relevant health authorities 1999-2000 to 2001-02Audited summarisation schedules of relevant primary care trusts 2000-01 to 2004-05Audited summarisation schedules of national health services trusts 1997-98 to 2004-05Audited summarisation forms of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 2002-03 to 2004-05

Genito-Urinary Care

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average waiting time was for an appointment at NHS genito-urinary medicine clinics in  (a) England,  (b) the North East and  (c) the Tees Valley in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what measures are being taken by her Department to minimise regional variations in sexual health care.

Caroline Flint: The genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic waiting times audit collects data on waiting times for all GUM clinics in England for a period of one week every quarter. All patients attending a GUM clinic with a new episode or registering for the first time are asked to complete the short questionnaire on waiting times. This audit has been chosen as the method of monitoring and improving access to GUM services. Current analysis is published on numbers seen within 48 hours. The most recent survey is for February 2006 which shows that in England 51 per cent. of attendees were seen within 48 hours. This compares with 38 per cent. in May 2004, the earliest date for which figures are available.
	A summary of the data is available on the Health Protection Agency's website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/results_Feb_2006.htm
	Sexual health and access to genito-urinary clinics is one of the six top priorities for the national health service in 2006-07. By 2008, everyone should be offered an appointment within 48 hours of contacting a GUM clinic. Strategic health authorities have all submitted plans to meet this target.

Health Promotion Campaigns

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact of her Department's health campaign to reduce the incidence of smoking;
	(2)  what action her Department is taking to promote health campaigns related to  (a) smoking,  (b) salt,  (c) mental health and  (d) sexual health.

Caroline Flint: Since 1998, the Government have put in place a comprehensive strategy to tackle smoking and to reduce the deaths caused by smoking. The strategy focuses on action to discourage people from ever starting and help for all smokers, of whatever age and sex, to quit. We are aiming to create a climate where non-smoking is the norm.
	We have banned almost all tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion; introduced clear tobacco pack warnings; run highly effective national anti-smoking education campaigns raising awareness of the health damage of smoking and second-hand smoke. People who wish to give up smoking can get help from the national health service to stop smoking—a world leading programme we set up.
	The House agreed, by a very large majority, to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke by ending smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces. This will mean every pub, club, membership club, cafe, restaurant, shopping centre, office and public and work transport will be smoke-free by summer 2007.
	This strategy has helped reduce smoking rates in England from 28 per cent. in 1998 to 25 per cent. in 2004 some 1.2 million fewer smokers. These are the lowest smoking rates in England on record and indicate that the Government are on track to meet the target of 21 per cent. or lower smoking prevalence in 2010.
	The Food Standards Agency is leading on a salt campaign to inform consumers of the potential consequences of too much salt in the diet and what steps they can take to reduce their intake. Phase one activity took place in 2004, phase two in 2005 and consideration is now being given to a third phase.
	We have promoted mental health through standard one of the national service framework for mental health; through the White Paper "Choosing Health", which promotes the physical health of those with severe mental illness through guidance to the service on models of delivery; and through up-to-date evidence-based guidance on good practice and to support those engaged in mental health promotion across the country was published in October 2005 in "Making It Possible: improving mental health and well-being in England". The White Paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" represents our further commitment to making these simple messages more widely known by ensuring that mental well-being is included in the social marketing strategy currently being developed to support "Choosing Health".
	We provide support for implementation of mental health promotion at local level through the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE), part of the Care Services Improvement Partnership. Over the last 12 months, NIMHE has published quarterly "Mental Health Promotion Update" newsletters to inform and motivate mental health promotion staff across the country. The Department and NIMHE are also supporting the forthcoming national men's health week organised by the men's health forum, which this year focuses on men's mental health and well-being.
	Our current plans are to aim to launch a sexual health campaign later this year. This will target 16 to 34-year-old men and women but with a concentration on the key 16 to 24 year age bracket. The campaign will focus on the risks of unprotected sex and the benefits of using condoms to avoid sexually transmitted infections including HIV and unintended pregnancies.

Health Protection Agency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures exist for the Health Protection Agency to evaluate and make recommendations on measures to deal with infection control in hospitals; and how the recommendations are reported.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is not responsible for infection control in hospitals. It carries out surveillance on behalf of the Department, provides general advice, and in collaboration with other stakeholders, carries out research and publishes recommendations on infection control. In addition, the HPA on request, advises on the control of outbreaks and incidents.

Healthy Eating

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with  (a) the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and  (b) Ofcom on controlling advertising aimed at children for foods high in fat, sugar and salt.

Caroline Flint: As outlined in the Choosing Health White Paper, the Department is committed to working with the broadcasting and advertising sectors on ways to help drive down levels of childhood obesity. The involvement of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, as the sponsor department for the broadcasting and advertising industries and Ofcom, is crucial to progressing this work and Departmental officials are in regular contact with them to discuss the food promotion agenda.
	My hon. Friend, the then Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism (James Purnell), and I have also met with Ofcom to discuss further restrictions around food and drink advertising and promotion to children.

Healthy Start Programme

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many low income families have been provided with vouchers under the Healthy Start programme in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; what the cost has been of the programme; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Phase one of healthy start commenced in Devon and Cornwall on 28 November 2005. The welfare food scheme continues in the rest of England, Wales and Scotland. At present approximately 9,600 families in Devon and Cornwall are receiving healthy start vouchers. The cost of healthy start vouchers and administering the scheme in Devon and Cornwall to date is approximately £1,525,000.
	Further costs incurred to date are:
	£33,000 for one-off training provided to selected health professionals in Devon and Cornwall;
	£275,910 to develop and produce information materials to support delivery of healthy start; and
	£117,300 for an independent rapid evaluation of the impact of phase one, including an evaluation of the effectiveness of the training for health professionals.
	The evaluation of phase one of healthy start is still underway and will inform phase two, roll out of healthy start vouchers across Great Britain, in autumn 2006.

Insulin

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2006,  Official Report, column 919W, on insulin, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of deaths attributable to insulin overdoses.

Rosie Winterton: Safer use of medicines is a key element in the Government's drive to increase the quality and safety of care in the national health service. "Building a safer NHS for patients—improving medication safety" was published in January 2004. The report stems from our commitment, first set out in 'An Organisation with a Memory', to reduce the frequency of serious medication errors by 40 per cent, and sets out some of the causes of errors, including those around insulin administration, and examples of good practice to reduce risks.
	Improving medication safety is also one of the National Patient Safety Agency's (NPSA) priorities. With the developing work programme of the NPSA, and as part of our overall drive to improve quality and safety of care, these recommendations will help make drug treatment safer for NHS patients.

Leisure Centres (Food/Drink Sales)

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to local authorities on the criteria they should apply to food and drink sold at leisure centres and other sports facilities.

Caroline Flint: No formal guidance has been issued to local authorities on this topic. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Department provide advice to caterers on healthier catering practice. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provide some guidance on procurement through its public sector food procurement initiative and this includes the Department's and FSA's advice on healthier food provision.

Lung Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with stakeholders on increasing expenditure on lung cancer research;
	(2)  what the terms of reference are for the National Cancer Research Institute's (NCRI) review of lung cancer research; and when she expects the NCRI to publish its report.

Caroline Flint: holding answers 18 May 2006
	The Department is working closely with its research funding partners(1) through the National Cancer Research Institute's (NCRI) strategic planning group to enhance national research efforts on lung cancer.
	The aim of the lung cancer strategic planning group is to take strategic oversight of research in the field, and to identify opportunities for appropriate action by NCRI member organisations, either collaboratively or individually, in order to have maximum impact for the benefit of patients and their carers.
	The group has defined its terms of reference in relation to its role, which is to answer the following questions:
	How can we maximise impact for the benefit of patients and the public?
	What is the past and present state of United Kingdom research in this area?
	What are likely to be future demands and opportunities in the area?
	Are there any obstacles to research?
	If there are obstacles, what is their nature?
	How can we overcome the obstacles?
	What can we learn from other countries?
	The NCRI expect to publish the group's report before the end of the year.
	(1) Including the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, and Macmillan Cancer Support

Maternity Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the procedures recently adopted for the reconfiguration proposals of existing community hospitals also apply to  (a) midwife-led and  (b) other maternity units.

Andy Burnham: As stated in paragraph 25 of the White Paper, 'Our Health, our Care, our say: a new direction for community services', the Department aims to provide more care in more local and convenient settings.
	However, decision making on specific local healthcare provision, including midwife led and other maternity units, is a matter for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in consultation with the local population.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public funding has been given to the Samaritans in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The Samaritans have received a total of £701,000 from the Department in the last five years, comprised of the following annual payments:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 51,000 
			 2002-03 155,000 
			 2003-04 195,000 
			 2004-05 170,000 
			 2005-06 130,000

National Patient Record Spine

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she has taken to ensure that patient records available on the National Patient Record Spine will not be used by organisations or individuals bidding for NHS contracts to inform their bid unfairly.

Caroline Flint: Only properly authenticated staff directly involved in the patient's care are able to view elements of a patient's care record held in the NHS care records service (NHS CRS). Under a protocol known as role-based access control, access to a patient's care record will be limited to only as much information as is needed for the purpose of the care or other job role being performed. Access is also limited to those with a legitimate relationship with the patient. These arrangements are explained in the NHS care record guarantee, which sets out the rules that govern information held in the NHS CRS.
	Anonymised information drawn from patient records has historically been, and will continue to be used, to support national health service planning, commissioning, audit and clinical governance, performance management, research and public health, subject to strict controls to ensure the confidentiality of patient-specific data. Some anonymised information will be routinely published in the form of reports by the information centre for health and social care.

NHS Direct

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the NHS Direct call centres to be closed; and what the location is of the centres to which calls will be transferred in each case.

Rosie Winterton: The consultation document proposes that 12 sites will close over the next 18 months:
	
		
			   Closure date 
			 Doncaster 2006-07 
			 Scunthorpe 2006-07 
			 York 2007-08 
			 Chester 2006-07 
			 Bolton(1) 2006-07 
			 Preston(1) 2006-07 
			 Chorley 2006-07 
			 Southport 2006-07 
			 Cambridge 2007-08 
			 Croydon(2) 2007-08 
			 Kensington(3) 2007-08 
			 Brighton 2007-08 
			 (1 )Potential for staff to transfer to the new Bolton site.(2 )Potential for staff to transfer to Beckenham.(3) Potential for staff to transfer to Southall. 
		
	
	NHS Direct uses a National Intelligent Network, a virtual call centre and call streaming technology which enables calls to be answered by the next available call handler, irrespective of new location.

NHS Direct

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) nurses and  (b) staff are employed by NHS Direct; and how many will be employed in each category after the proposed re-organisation.

Rosie Winterton: The most recently centrally collected information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services: Non-medical staff employed by NHS Direct by main staff group as at 30 September 2005 
			   Headcount 
			 All non-medical staff 3,926 
			  Of which:  
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 1,909 
			 Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census 
		
	
	NHS Direct began a 12 week consultation with staff and staff side representatives on 16 May 2006. The consultation period is due to end on 16 August 2006. The outcomes of the consultation will be made public thereafter.

NHS Direct

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many telephone calls were dealt with by NHS Direct in each year since it came into operation.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Availability and use of NHS Direct 
			  Thousand 
			   Calls received  Visits to NHS Direct Online 
			 1998-99 110 0 
			 1999-2000 1,650 0 
			 2000-01 3,420 1,5001 
			 2001-02 5,213 2,028 
			 2002-03 6,319 3,972 
			 2003-04 6,405 6,542 
			 2004-05 6,586 9,285 
			 2005-06 6,810 13,537 
			 Source:Health Intelligence Unit, NHS Direct

NHS Direct

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the measured level of user satisfaction with NHS Direct was in each year since it came into operation.

Andy Burnham: The data is not available as an annual figure, but is collected monthly by NHS Direct. The information from the monthly survey in March each year is shown in the table.
	
		
			  March  Patients very satisfied and satisfied (Percentage) 
			 2002 99.2 
			 2003 98.1 
			 2004 98.2 
			 2005 98.0 
			 2006 96.6 
			  Source:Patient satisfaction reports—NHS Direct. 
		
	
	The rates for patients who are satisfied or very satisfied remain consistently high (above 95 per cent.), although the level of calls received has risen from 5,213,000 in 2001-02 to 6,810,000 in 2005-06.

NHS Direct

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out the timetable for the review of NHS Direct.

Rosie Winterton: As part of the Department's review of arms length bodies, NHS Direct is to change its status from a special health authority to a national health service trust from April 2007 with the objective of becoming a NHS foundation trust from April 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter. NHS Direct is also changing the way it operates so that it can respond to the needs of people for advice and support in the most appropriate and cost efficient way. On 16 May it began a three-month consultation with staff on proposed changes to its management structures, skill mix and its call centre.

NHS Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of NHS primary care trust budget deficits on the funding of local area agreements with local councils.

Andy Burnham: Local area agreements (LAAs) are based on a number of area-specific funding streams. national health service funding is not one of these, but can be aligned locally at the decision of the primary care trust (PCT) and the strategic health authority (SHA). PCTs and SHAs have played a key role in developing the LAAs, and this is reflected in the enthusiasm and commitment with which local partners have approached health and social care outcomes within the LAA. LAAs have proved valuable in improving the efficiency and targeting of resources, developing new ways of working and agreeing a joint approach with a range of local partners to addressing local issues.
	With the record levels of funding available to NHS bodies, they should all have sufficient resources to invest in national and local priorities. Where appropriate, this includes arrangements for joint working with local authorities.

NHS Logistics

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she is placing a requirement on bidders to take over NHS logistics to maintain all the current distribution centre; and whether such a commitment has been made.

Andy Burnham: The preferred bidder has indicated that they will take over all the current distribution centres. Their proposals indicate that they will maintain these distribution centres for the foreseeable future. There are no plans to close any of the current distribution centres over the life of the contract.

NHS Logistics

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has received reports of changes to the business case for outsourcing NHS Logistics and the NHS consumables supply chain during discussions with DHL and Novation; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: There have been no such reports. In March 2006, Ministers approved the full business case for the outsourcing of NHS Logistics and related parts of NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency. Subject to final negotiation a contract could be awarded to DHL/Novation.
	These final negotiations are still in hand. Once they have been completed, I will be made aware of any changes to the business case that are material.

NHS Work Force

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes to job coding in the NHS workforce census were made between  (a) 2003-04 and 2004-05 and  (b) 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: National health service workforce census uses the occupation code manual as the basis for coding the jobs of staff. The census is run recording the position of the NHS workforce at the end of September. NHS organisations require 6 month notice of any changes made to the occupation code manual before they become mandatory in the census. Changes to the occupation code manual are announced through the publication of a data set change notice (DSCN).
	The following DSCNs have relevance to the NHS workforce census and were issued between 1 May 2003 and 30 of April 2006. They are as follows:
	DSCN 23/2003—which was issued in June 2003
	(i) Introduction of new codes for:
	qualified school nurses and other nurses working in school nursing
	healthcare scientists working in: life sciences / pathology; physiological sciences; clinical engineering and physical sciences; and other healthcare science professions.
	(ii) Deletion of scientific, therapeutic and technical codes rendered obsolete by the introduction of the new Healthcare Science codes above—in medical physics, pathology and physiological measurement.
	DSCN 26/2004—which was issued in November 2004
	(i) Introduction of new codes for: assistant practitioners, occupational therapy technicians and instructor/teachers in speech and language therapy.
	(ii) Closure of scientist in clinical psychology and guidance for re coding assistant psychologists.
	(iii) Improved guidance for: Emergency care practitioners, administrative managers, locums, pre-registration house offices, NHS Direct nursing, cadet nursing and nursing auxiliary, mental health workers.
	DSCN 07/2005—which was issued in May 2005
	(i) Introduction of a new specialty code for sports and exercise medicine for medical staff.
	(ii) Introduction of codes for modern matrons and community matrons
	(iii) Improved guidance for non-executives, general definitions for nurses and suggested re-coding for carer support workers.
	DSCN 06/2006—which was issued in March 2006
	(i) Recoding of ambulance matrix to allow greater level of detail.
	(ii) Introduction of codes to track community matrons distinct from modern matrons.

Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings she has had with officials concerning primary care trusts in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority area.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 8 May 2006
	There have been no specific meetings between Departmental officials and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State to discuss Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge. However, a range of meetings with officials to discuss primary care trust reconfiguration have taken place, which as a matter of course will have included discussions on Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge.

Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to Northamptonshire Heartlands Primary Care Trust for the 2006-07 financial year; how much was allocated in each of the previous five years; how much is expected to be allocated in each of the next five years; and what percentage each figure represents of the Government's national standard amount in each year.

Rosie Winterton: Revenue allocations were first made to primary care trusts (PCTS) in 2003-04. Prior to this, funding was allocated to health authorities (HAs).
	The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Northamptonshire HA  Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT  England 
			   Allocation (£ million)  Allocation per head (£)  Allocation per head relative to England average (Percentage)  Allocation (£ million)  Allocation per head (£)  Allocation per head relative to England average (Percentage)  Allocation (£ million)  Allocation per head (£) 
			 2001-02 386 674 83 — — — 37,157 817 
			 2002-03 429 739 82 — — — 40,988 903 
			 2003-04 — — — 222 810 90 45,027 903 
			 2004-05 — — — 244 882 90 49,328 986 
			 2005-06 — — — 267 1,045 89 53,925 1,172 
			 2006-07 — — — 336 1,196 94 64,309 1,274 
			 2007-08 — — — 377 1,330 96 70,354 1,388 
			  Notes It is not possible to compare allocations rounds for the following reasons:organisational changes and changes made to the weighted capitation formula for each allocations round, mean that comparisons between allocations rounds would not be on a like with like basis;services for which PCTs are responsible for funding change over time. For example, 2006-07 is the first year that primary medical services were incorporated into revenue allocations.Allocations are informed by a weighted capitation formula. No decision yet has been made on revenue allocations post 2007-08. Source:Department of Health

Nursing

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on agency nurses by  (a) the Epsom and St. Helier University Trust and  (b) St. Helier Hospital in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The data requested is collected at trust level. Details on agency nursing spend figures for the Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals National Health Service Trust is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Agency nurse spends 
			  £ 
			   Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust  Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust 
			 1997-98 — 1,190,422 
			 1998-99 — 1,200,386 
			 1999-2000 3,365,663 — 
			 2000-01 6,329,538 — 
			 2001-02 9,304,846 — 
			 2002-03 2,522,590 — 
			 2003-04 677,015 — 
			 2004-05 450,000 —

Obesity

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the levels of obesity in  (a) children and  (b) adults were in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity is the Health Survey for England (HSE). Table one and two present the most recent available data on the prevalence of obesity in children and adults, between 1997 and 2004.
	Table one refers to the obesity prevalence among children aged two to 15 and table two reports the obesity prevalence among adults aged 16 and over.
	
		
			  Table 1: Prevalence of obesity among children( 1) , by gender, England 1997 to 2004( 2) 
			   Percentage 
			   Survey Years 
			  Body mass index status  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 
			 Boys 12.7 13.0 16.4 14.5 15.5 
			 Girls 12.4 13.8 13.7 14.2 14.5 
			   
			  Bases  
			 Boys 3,063 1,981 977 877 1,653 
			 Girls 3,069 1,872 950 841 1,699 
		
	
	
		
			   
			   Survey Year 
			  Body mass index status  2002  2003  (unweighted)  2004  unweighted)  2003  (weighted)  2004  (weighted) 
			 Boys 16.9 17.0 18.9 17.0 19.2 
			 Girls 17.1 16.1 17.8 16.1 18.5 
			   
			  Bases  
			 Boys 3,745 1,410 645 1,452 8,833 
			 Girls 3,636 1,444 579 1,393 8,228 
			  Notes:1. Children aged 2 to 152. From 2003 data is weighted for non response. Data weighted for child selection only are provided for consistency with previous years Source:Health Survey for England 2004. Updating of trend tables to include 2004 data. The Information Centre for health and social care. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Prevalence of obesity among adults( 1) , by gender, England 1997 to 2004( 2) 
			  Percentage 
			   Survey year 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 
			 Men 17.0 17.3 18.7 21.0 21.0 
			 Women 19.7 21.2 21.1 21.4 23.5 
			   
			  Bases  
			 Men 3,685 6,600 3,204 3,260 6,267 
			 Women 4,254 7,730 3,699 3,703 7,414 
		
	
	
		
			   2002  2003  (unweighted)  2004  (unweighted)  2003  (weighted)  2004  (weighted) 
			 Men 22.1 22.9 23.6 22.2 23 
			 Women 22.8 23.4 23.8 23.0 23 
			   
			  Bases  
			 Men 2,969 5,966 2,444 5,966 39,244 
			 Women 3,509 7,090 3,135 7,090 39,803 
			 Notes:1. Adults aged 16 and over2. From 2003 data is weighted. Unweighted data for 2003 and 2004 are provided to show the effect of weightingSource:Health Survey for England 2003. The Department of HealthHealth Survey for England 2004. The Information Centre for health and social care

Perfluorooctane Sulphonate

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance  (a) her Department and  (b) the Health Protection Agency has issued on the use of perfluorooctane sulphonate to tackle fires.

Caroline Flint: Neither the Department nor the Health Protection Agency has issued advice on the use of perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) in tackling fires.
	PFOS was used as an ingredient in two particular fire fighting foam concentrate ranges up until 2003 when production by the main manufacturer ceased following the evidence to suggest that it is harmful to both the environment and humans. I understand from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that the stocks of foams based on PFOS are diminishing but it is likely that some fire and rescue services do still hold some stocks. NCI Director's Consumer Liaison Group, jointly with the Environment Agency, will shortly be issuing guidance to the fire and rescue services requesting them to no longer use PFOS based foams and instead to consider the use of alternatives once they are satisfied the performance of these alternatives meets their needs.

School Nurses

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts have at least one full-time, year round qualified school nurse for each cluster or group of primary schools and related secondary school; if she will list the primary care trusts which do not have such provision; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The September 2005 census showed that there were 2,887 (1,913 full-time equivalent (fte)) qualified nurses working in the school nursing service, an increase of 478 (19.8 per cent.) since 2004.
	Of these 943 (665 fte) have a post registration school nursing qualification, an increase of 87 (10 per cent.) since 2004.
	Data on the number of full-time qualified school nurses by primary care trust has been placed in the Library.

Sexual Health

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the Department has made of the number of people in each region in England with undiagnosed  (a) HIV/AIDS,  (b) Chlamydia,  (c) gonorrhoea,  (d) hepatitis B and  (e) syphilis.

Caroline Flint: Data on the estimated number of undiagnosed HIV infections for all adults in the United Kingdom is shown in the following table.
	Results from screening asymptomatic sexually active young people, aged less than 25 years, through the national Chlamydia screening programme indicate that up to one in 10 of the target population are infected with Chlamydia. This indicates a high level of undetected genital Chlamydia infection in young sexually active people.
	There are no estimates of the number of cases of undiagnosed gonorrhoea in England. It is thought that while the majority of infections among men are symptomatic, a significant proportion are asymptomatic and therefore more likely to remain undiagnosed. The proportion of asymptomatic infections is higher among women.
	There are no estimates on undiagnosed cases of hepatitis B in England.
	
		
			  Estimates( 1)  of prevalent HIV infections among adults aged 15 to 59, United Kingdom 2004 
			  Exposure category  Number diagnosed( 2,3)  Number undiagnosed  Total 
			 Sex between men 17,400 9,100 26,500 
			  (16,900, 17,900) (6,600, 13,300) (23,900, 30,700) 
			 
			 Injecting drug use 1,300 600 2,000 
			  (1,300, 1,400) (500, 800) (1,800, 2,100) 
			 
			 Heterosexuals 19,900 9,800 29,700 
			  (19,300, 20,600) (7,600, 13,000) (27,600, 32,900) 
			 
			 Men 7,400 4,700 12,000 
			  (7,100, 7,600) (3,600, 6,700) (10,900, 14,100) 
			 African born 4,600 1,600 6,200 
			  (4,400, 4,700) (1,000, 2,700) (5,600, 7,300) 
			 Non-African born 2,800 3,000 5,900 
			  (2,700, 2,900) (2,300, 4,200) (5,100, 7,000) 
			 
			 Women 12,500 5,100 17,700 
			  (12,100, 13,000) (3,900, 6,700) (16,500, 19,200) 
			 African born 9,300 2,400 11,700 
			  (8,900, 9,600) (1,700, 3,400) (10,900, 12,700) 
			 Non-African born 3,300 2,700 6,000 
			  (3,100, 3,400) (2,100, 3,500) (5,400, 6,800) 
			 
			 Grand total 38,600 19,700 58,300 
			  (37,500, 39,800) (16,100, 24,800) (54,700, 63,400) 
			 (1) Numbers diagnosed and undiagnosed (rounded to the nearest 100) were estimated using multi- parameter evidence synthesis, in an extension of the method described in Goubar A et al Bayesian multi-parameter synthesis of HIV surveillance data in England and Wales, 2001, 2005 submitted.(2 )Numbers diagnosed exclude individuals aged 15 to 59 with unknown area of residence (570 in 2004).(3) Numbers diagnosed exclude individuals aged 15 to 59 infected through blood or blood products or tissue (410 in 2004) or through mother-to-child transmission (120 in 2004). Source:SOPHID; CD4 monitoring; reports of deaths in HIV-infected individuals; Natsal 2000; unlinked anonymous prevalence monitoring; national study of HIV in pregnancy and childhood (NSHPC)

Suicidality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the research undertaken by Government agencies on the effects of certain drugs on suicidality.

Andy Burnham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published research into the effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on suicidal thoughts and behaviour. The report of the committee on safety of medicines' expert working group on the safety of SSRIs was published on 6 December 2004 and is available on the MHRA's website at www.mhra.gov.uk. A copy is available in the Library. The MHRA is committed to publishing the research which underpins its decisions on safety of medicines.

Waiting Times

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the change in patient waiting times in the constituency of Brentford and Isleworth since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: It is for the local national health service to assess patient waiting times in the local area and to ensure that waiting time targets are met.
	The table shows the number of patients waiting by time bands for the quarter ending March 1997 to March 2006 for Hounslow primary care trust (PCT), Ealing PCT and Hammersmith and Fulham PCT including the Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Health Authority (HA) which existed before the creation of the PCTs.
	
		
			  In-patients still waiting by timeband, quarter ending March 1997 to March 2006, Commissioner based, Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow HA 
			Patients waiting for an admission in months 
			  Quarter ending March  In-patient waiting list  0<3  3<6  6<9  9<12  12<15  15<18  18<21 
			 2003 15,226 6,164 3,790 2,418 1,628 848 357 21 
			 2003 18,461 7,087 4,286 3,228 1,995 1,240 625 0 
			 1999 13,831 6,838 3,075 1,803 1,200 705 210 0 
			 2000 13,717 7,434 3,001 1,678 945 534 125 0 
			 2001 12,679 6,556 2,908 1,639 923 551 102 0 
			 2002 13,066 7,292 3,164 1,517 808 285 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Corresponding PCTs in the former HA 
			Patients waiting for an admission in months 
			  PCT  Quarter ending March  In-patient waiting list  0<3  3<6  6<9  9<12  12<15  15<18  18+ 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 2003 2,631 1,650 626 266 89 0 0 0 
			 Ealing PCT 2003 5,894 3,167 1,543 836 348 0 0 0 
			 Hounslow PCT 2003 4,441 2,442 1,192 678 129 0 0 0 
			 Sum of PCTs 2003 12,996 7,259 3,361 1,780 566 0 0 0 
			   
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 2004 2,348 1,699 494 155 0 0 0 0 
			 Ealing PCT 2004 5,283 3,520 1,409 346 2 6 0 0 
			 Hounslow PCT 2004 3,642 2,546 912 182 2 0 0 0 
			 Sum of PCTs 2004 11,273 7,765 2,815 683 4 6 0 0 
			   
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 2005 2,564 1,654 830 80 0 0 0 0 
			 Ealing PCT 2005 5,046 3,226 1,606 214 0 0 0 0 
			 Hounslow PCT 2005 3,147 2,042 997 106 2 0 0 0 
			 Sum of PCTs 2005 10,757 6,922 3,433 400 2 0 0 0 
			   
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 2006 2,612 1,785 827 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ealing PCT 2006 5,913 4,217 1,696 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hounslow PCT 2006 2,806 2,043 763 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sum of PCTs 2006 11,331 8,045 3,286 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Note:.  PCTs came into existence from April 2002. Before then the data are supplied by the corresponding HA. Source: Department of Health form QF01.

Waiting Times

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of waiting times for  (a) speech therapy and  (b) cataract operations; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: As speech and language therapy is not a consultant-led speciality, data on waiting times for this treatment are not centrally available.
	The official figures on waiting times show the length of time that people currently on the list for treatment have been waiting. This data is collected at consultant led speciality level, for example ophthalmology. It is not possible to split this data down to show waiting list data for specific operations, for example cataract operations. Therefore, the information requested is not centrally available.
	However, a different source of information can be used to provide an approximate measure of the times that patients have waited for admission for specific operations such as those relating to cataracts. The most up-to-date data is for 2004-05 which is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Mean/median number of days waited for a cataract operation in NHS Hospitals in England 1996-97 to 2004-05 
			   Mean waiting time  Median waiting time 
			 1996-97 176 151 
			 1997-98 208 179 
			 1998-99 225 204 
			 1999-2000 201 176 
			 2000-01 190 164 
			 2001-02 179 153 
			 2002-03 173 147 
			 2003-04 148 127 
			 2004-05 91 78

Work Permit Regulations

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her discussions with the British Medical Association regarding the impact of the work permit regulations affecting non-EU doctors which comes into force in July.

Rosie Winterton: Departmental officials have been working closely with the junior doctors committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) since the changes to the immigration rules in July 2005. The Department continues to discuss with the BMA the arrangements for those already in training and to agree what further guidance and clarification is needed to deal with the new arrangements.
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